Pokemon Masters Path
by SSG-Goku3397
Summary: Ash meets a Mew when he was six after he helps a shiny Magikarp and Mew decides to give him a gift. Now join a smarter Aura Guardian Ash with Psychic Powers on his way to become the Greatest Hero and Pokemon Master the pokemon world has ever seen.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokemon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks(Pokemon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokedex Information_

' _Pokethoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokespeech"_

* * *

 **Prologue**

A six-year-old kid with spiky black hair, brown eyes and lightning bolt marks on his cheeks could be seen wading through a small pond towards a large golden fish like pokemon that was flopping about in the shallows, injured. The kid was wearing a blue t-shirt and black shorts.

"Ash be careful there, you don't just approach any wild pokemon. If you startle it, it can attack you. Even a Magikarp can be very dangerous." An old man with grey hair and wearing a lab coat said, trying to deter the now identified Ash from doing something rash. "But Professor Oak the Magikarp is injured, I can't just leave it here helpless." Ash said determined to help the poor Magikarp.

Said Magikarp just kept flopping about, but kept an eye on the child approaching it. As Ash reached closer, the Magikarp started to panic. "Easy there Magikarp I won't hurt you. I just want to help you, please calm down." Ash said with a soothing tone of voice. Magikarp just kept watching Ash trying to figure out if he had evil intentions towards it or not. After a couple of moments, Magikarp stopped panicking and flopping about, allowing Ash to approach it without fear.

When Ash reached Magikarp, he ran his right hand over its head cooing soothing words towards it, all the while checking its injuries. After examining the injuries Magikarp had, Ash came to the conclusion that using a Potion would be enough to heal its injuries. "Professor can I borrow a Potion from you?"

"Here you go my boy," Professor Oak said tossing a Potion towards Ash. After Ash caught the Potion, he turned towards Magikarp, "Magikarp this is going to sting a little, but afterwards you will feel good as new. Are you ready?"

"Karp Magikarp…" Magikarp said showing that it was ready. Ash opened the seal on the bottle of Potion and then started spraying the contents on Magikarps various wounds. Magikarp just winced as some of the worse injuries were covered in the potion, but kept calm all the while surveying the young human child.

Unknown to everyone on the scene, a pokemon was observing the young child helping the Magikarp while an old man was waiting for the boy to finish. _'I think that I will give the chosen one a gift for his selflessness.'_ The pokemon thought to itself, _'But I have to be careful so that I don't reveal his role in the world. Hopefully the council won't give me give me much grief over my decision.'_

"There you go Magikarp all better." Ash said with glee as he watched Magikarp flop about happily. "Bye Magikarp and be careful not to get hurt again, you were lucky that me and the Professor were close by." As Ash turned to leave, Magikarp gave a sad "karp karp" and tried to flop away when suddenly a pokemon teleported in front of Ash.

The pokemon had a small pink feline body with ears like a cats, a long tail and baby blue eyes. The pokemon looked at Ash with a curious expression on its face all the while flying about Ash's head. "Arceus! Ash that's the legendary pokemon Mew." Professor Oak exclaimed in surprise. Ash was just as surprised as the professor and so he gave Mew a tentative "Hi mew."

" _Hello young one,"_ came the female sounding voice of Mew through the use of telepathy. _"I was flying about when I saw your act of kindness and I was quite impressed. It's not every day I see a human, one so young no less, be so selfless as to approach an injured wild pokemon with thoughts of helping it. What do you want to be when you grow up young one? I wish to give you a gift for your selflessness."_

"I want to be a Pokemon Master and there is no need for you to give me a reward for doing what is right. Mom always taught me to do the right thing." Ash said.

" _Noble and pure of heart as well. So be it I will give you a gift that only Sir Aaron of Cameran Palace got and he is considered one of the greatest hero the world has seen. Even we legendries mourn his loss. I will give you my help should you need it. Also it seems that you have latent psychic and aura abilities. I will also give you all the knowledge you require to at least start using your abilities immediately."_ Mew said before touching Ash's forehead with her and Ash glowed white before the nimbus of psychic energy vanished. After that, Ash collapsed nearly falling into the pond but Mew caught him using her psychic powers and teleported him to the Professors side.

" _Take good care of the child old one. He has a great destiny ahead of him, being Arceus's Chosen One, but don't reveal his destiny to him yet. It shall be revealed to him all in good time."_ Mew said seriously to which Oak just nodded his head. As Mew was about to leave, Magikarp started to get worked up, "Karp Magi Karp, Magikarp." Mew just nodded her head and turned towards Professor Oak. _"Magikarp here wants to be with the Chosen One. She believes that it was fate that brought him to her and I am willing to believe that."_ Mew said before teleporting out of there.

Oak didn't know what to say or do, so he took out a pokeball and threw it towards Magikarp. Magikarp just jumped out of the water and touched her head to the ball getting sucked into the ball in a haze of red light. The ball didn't even shook once and pinged signifying a capture. Professor Oak then picked up the pokeball and then carried Ash to the jeep. After buckling Ash down, Professor Oak started the jeep and drove back to Pallet Town.

A few hours later, "Ohhh…" a moan could be heard in a darkened room. "What happened? Where am I?" Ash asked in a groggy manner sitting up. Looking around he saw that he was back in his room and in his bed. Getting up Ash walked to the door of his room and opened it. After washing his face in the bathroom, he walked down the stairs and into the living room.

"I am telling you Delia; when Mew appeared out of nowhere I was so surprised, but what surprised me more was that Mew had been impressed with Ash and decided to reward him." Oak could be heard, talking excitedly with his mom in the kitchen.

"Oh my Professor, so what did Ash get from Mew?" Delia asked.

"Oh I don't know what Mew gave, but I know that he collapsed after Mew gave him his reward…" Oak said before trailing off seeing Ash standing at the doorway of the kitchen. "Evening mom, Professor Oak."

"Oh honey I am so proud of you. Not only did you help an injured pokemon, you were also able to impress a legendary pokemon enough for it to show itself to you. Congratulations on becoming the member of a very elite club of people to meet a legendary." Delia gushed.

"It's nothing mom, I just followed your teachings. I didn't even want to be rewarded for what I did, but Mew had other ideas." Ash said embarrassed at the praise.

"Well my boy you are one of the few people to be blessed by a legendary pokemon. You should be proud." Oak said.

"Just as I said before Professor; I did what I did because it was the right thing to do, not because of some reward."

"Speaking of reward, what did Mew gift you?" Oak asked going into research mode.

"Oh nothing much something about awakening my latent psychic and aura abilities. Also that she would be there for me should I need it. Now I have a question, what does latent mean?"

"Latent means untapped or un-awakened in your case. So you have psychic powers and aura, interesting that Aura users and Psychics don't usually get on well with each other. I know that you got your aura powers from you father. He was a direct descendant of Sir Aaron of Cameran Palace in the Kingdom of Rota. But where did you get your psychic powers from?" Oak mused at the end.

"Mew told me that she gave Sir Aaron her help when he needed it. Could that be why she showed up in front of me?" Ash asked.

"Could be. You are descended from Sir Aaron. The Ketchum family is directly connected to the Royal Family of Rota. If I am not mistaken, the daughter of the present Queen of Rota, Queen Melisa, is Princess Ilene your cousin. Her and your great grandmother was Queen Melina. She had married Harold Ketchum and had twins. According to custom, the female twin was crowned Queen and the male twin became her Knight or in this case Aura Guardian. Ilene is descended from the female twin while you are descended from the male twin. I just can't seem to remember their names for some reason." Oak explained to an awed Ash who just listened with rapt attention.

"Ash there is something I must tell you. Now that you know your father also had the ability to use aura, you should know that he gave his life saving Pacifidlog Town from a powerful tidal wave a couple of months before you were born. He and his Lucario used up all of their aura to create a powerful shield around the town." Delia had tears in her eyes from remembering that sad event that caused her husband his life along with his most faithful companions life.

"So dad died a hero. So cool, beat that Gary." Ash said after processing the news.

"Ash you should know that Gary's dad also died soon after on Mount Silver trying to take down a criminal organization. He succeeded in partially disbanding the group." Oak said remembering getting the news that Blue Oak had died from the Pokemon G-men.

"Oh I am sorry Professor I didn't know." Ash had his head down in shame for forgetting that Gary's father was the Professors son. "Wait how do I have psychic powers if psychic and aura powers are contra…contadict…"

"Contradictory son, and you get your psychic powers from me. I may not be a very strong psychic, but I do have a little telepathic ability. Your cousin Sabrina can help you, I heard from my brother that she was showing signs of being a powerful psychic."

"You don't mean Sabrina Richards the daughter of the Saffron City Gym leader, do you?" Oak asked surprised.

"Of course Jim Richards is my brother. Sabrina is six years Ash's senior just as Ilene is. I think that it's time for Ash to meet his extended family. I will call up Jim as see if he and Sabrina are free this weekend. I will also call up Melisa and see about spending this summer at Rota. What do you say Ash?"

"I would love that mom, oh I just remembered." Ash turned towards Professor Oak and asked, "What happened to Magikarp did she return back into the deeper section of the pond safely?"

"Oh I have Magikarp's pokeball with me. She didn't want to leave you and said so to Mew who translated for her. Here you go Ash keep her pokeball safe for tonight and in the morning you can come over to ranch and let her out in one of the ponds. How does that sound?" Oak asked with a smile handing Ash the pokeball. "Alright good evening you two but I must return home before Daisy sends out a search party." Professor Oak got up and then walked towards the main door.

"Evening Professor," both mother and son called as the Professor let himself out. "How about a spot of dinner for my little hero?" Delia asked with a smile, Ash just nodded his head inpatient for the morning to come. After dinner, Ash bathed then went to sleep.

Meanwhile Delia was sitting at the video phone making a call. "Hello this is Jim Richards here… Oh if it isn't my baby sister, how have you been Delia?"

"Oh I am fine Jim, how are you and your family?"

"Julie and Sabrina are doing fine, though it seems that Sabrina is starting to seal off her emotions in an attempt to better control her powers. So how is Ash? I haven't seen the little tyke since the day he was born. Sabrina seems to have formed a soft spot for him."

"Really that is surprising especially since she only met him the day after he was born. Anyway the reason I called so late is because of Ash." Delia paused to let Jim process that.

"So he is already manifesting his psychic powers. Interesting could it be… Oh sorry Delia you know how I become if something interests me. So is he, or isn't he?" Jim asked getting impatient with Delia's continued silence.

"There was an incident this afternoon. Ash was out with Professor Oak helping him with some research. After helping a shiny Magikarp, a Mew suddenly appeared and rewarded Ash by unlocking his latent psychic and aura abilities. If either of the powers were awakened I wouldn't have worried, but both is a bit concerning. Also Mew gave him enough knowledge to already use his powers on an adept's level. He had unconsciously used his psychic powers to pick up his dishes and put them in the sink after I reminded him of his mistake. Also he was quite sleepy and had his eyes closed yet he was perfectly able to get to his bedroom. I had seen Richard do similar things using his aura. In fact, Ash already has very developed psychic and aura powers. What should I do Jim? You know how rare it is for psychic and aura powers to harmonize with each other. I am scared for my little boy." Delia was nearly at the point of crying.

"Sis there is no reason to fear. Mew is a legendary pokemon and they rarely consider us even worth their notice. To appear before Ash and gifting him enough knowledge to become an adept in both arts is extraordinary, but we can be assured that the powers are already harmonized in him. He is your and Richards son after all."

"Yea you are right as always Jim. Now as to the main reason I called you, are you and your family free this weekend? I will pick up old Magik from Professor Oak and have him use **Teleport** to bring us to your place around noon. We will stay there that night and most of the next day before leaving in the late afternoon."

"I have no problem with that. Julie had even been asking me to invite you over since we last talked and that was half a year ago. I just didn't have time because of all the challengers the gym is having recently. So come at your leisure. I have to go Delia, I have three challenges first thing in the morning and I have to get my sleep. If I may be bold, I also know that you need your own beauty sleep, you have to look your part as a beautiful widowed mother after all. Goodnight Sis." Jim quickly hung up leaving a sputtering red faced Delia looking at the blank screen.

"Oh Jim you are going to get it when I get to you. Now to call Queen Melisa." Delia said to no one in particular and dialed the personal number of the Queen. After some moments the Queen's personal maid picked up the phone.

"Hello this is Queen Melisa's personal phone, milady's personal maid speaking. How may I help you?"

"Layla it's me Delia. Is Melisa free at the moment?" Delia asked with a smile.

"Oh my I didn't even recognize you Delia. You look just as young as you looked when Ash was born. Wait a moment while I inform milady…" Layla said getting up to inform the Queen. After a couple of moments Melisa sat down in front of the phone.

"How have you and Ash been Delia?" Melisa asked.

"We have been fine your highness. I was wondering if we could visit Rota this summer. I want to introduce Ash to his extended family, especially after what happened today."

"What happened? Did he somehow caused an aura burst? And didn't I tell you that its Melisa to family." Melisa asked a bit concerned.

"Sorry I was just trying to tease you again. Old habits die hard. Anyway no Ash didn't have an aura burst but it seems that he had somehow got the attention of a Mew. A Mew that once helped Sir Aaron, from what I could gather from Ash. The Mew gave him the gift of knowledge and at the same time unlocked his psychic and aura powers. He now has the abilities of an adept at both arts. Any way so what do you say about us visiting you and Ilene?" Delia had a serious yet kind expression on her face.

"Oh you are always welcome to visit and since you asked to visit during summer, I would advise you coming during the Rota Annual Festival. So how long do you think you will be staying?"

"A couple of weeks, a month at most. Ash helps Professor Oak with some of his research, so taking him away from Professor Oak for any longer period will cause both to have nervous breakdowns." Delia said with a chuckle in the end.

"We can't have that now, can we? Anyway Delia its getting late so I think that both of us should get to sleep. You have your son to take care off and I have my kingdom. Goodnight Delia, hope that you sleep well." Queen Melisa said before hanging up after Delia returned the favor.

The next morning Ash was up at eight in the morning. After finishing the morning necessities, he went down to the kitchen to see a large stack of pancakes waiting for him. After quickly wishing his mom a good morning, he went to work demolishing the stack of pancakes, covering them with maple syrup. After he was done, he quickly used his newly gained psychic powers to put the dishes in the sink before leaving the house in a run.

After a quick jog up to Professor Oak's lab, Ash rung the bell. A young teenaged girl with blonde hair wearing a pale green sundress opened the door. "Oh hello Ash. What brings you here at this time in the morning? Don't you normally come right before noon?"

"Oh morning Daisy, Professor Oak told me to come in the morning today. So can I come in?" Ash said with a smile. He liked Daisy because of her kind personality. Daisy brightly smiled at him, "Of course Ash, grandpa is out back feeding the pokemon. You know your way around the lab, don't you?"

"Yea and thanks Daisy." Ash said before rushing off towards the fields behind the lab. When he got outside, he quickly spotted Professor Oak giving the last of the grass pokemon their breakfast. The professor was wearing his usual lab coat over a green shirt, brown tie and beige khakis.

"Morning Professor." The professor turned his head and saw Ash standing behind him in a blue t-shirt with a pokeball logo and green shorts. He had the Magikarp's pokeball clutched in his hands and had adorned an excited grin on his face.

"Morning Ash, excited as ever I see. So what are you waiting for, let the Magikarp out. The pond is practically empty today as most of the other water pokemon are in the larger lake." Ash nodded his head and quickly threw the pokeball towards the pond calling out, "Magikarp, I choose you." In a burst of red light, the golden Magikarp materialized in the pond and started swimming about in excitement.

"Professor I forgot to ask yesterday, but why is Magikarp golden? Aren't they normally reddish-orange in color?"

"Normally you would be correct Ash. Remember me telling you that there are some pokemon of the same species that are differently colored and are very rare. This Magikarp is one of those rare shiny pokemon, so she is golden in color. If I remember correctly, a shiny Gyarados is red in color and that is what she will look like when she evolves."

"Cool," Ash said before turning to Magikarp, "How are you feeling Magikarp?"

" _I feel completely fine now. Thank you for helping an injured, wild Magikarp like me master."_ Magikarp said and surprisingly Ash understood it.

"No need to thank me and also don't call me 'master'. I want to be your friend, if it's alright with you?" Ash asked timidly.

" _That will be fine, but what will I call you?"_ Magikarp asked confused as to what to call Ash. Ash just nodde his head and said, "Just call me Ash and I was wondering would you like a nickname?"

" _I would love a nickname. So what do you think will fit me."_ Magikarp asked enthusiastically. "Professor said that after evolving you would be red in color, so what about…Cherry?" Magikarp quietly pondered the name and then said, _"Thank you, Cherry is a very beautiful name. I love it Ash."_

"Your welcome Cherry…" Ash was about to continue when a cough from Professor Oak distracted him. "What is it Professor?"

"So Ash it seems that Mew's gifts are already being used quite well. So are you able to understand Cherry because of aura or are you using telepathy?"

"Oh it was an aura translation trick. If I used telepathy, then I wouldn't have been talking out loud."

"Most interesting Ash, so are you able to understand any pokemon or just the pokemon that have become close to you?"

"Oh with enough practice, any Aura user can understand all pokemon. I can because Mew gifted me the knowledge required to be considered an adept in using both my aura powers and psychic powers. Even you can learn how to use your aura to understand all pokemon, but not much else." Oak nodded his head, "So any person can use aura?"

"Every living thing can use aura to a certain degree, but only those with a very strong aura will be able to become an Aura Gurdian. You see the translation trick is a very low level trick, but it needs one to keep their minds open to receive the required fluctuation in the aura of a pokemon for the user to understand."

"I see, so what will you and Cherry do now Ash?" Ash just shrugged his shoulders before saying, "I will get to know her a bit before starting her training. Mew also gave me a lot of information on pokemon, their different abilities, pokemon attacks and types. Also there is something called Mega Evolution and it requires a keystone for the trainer, a megastone for the pokemon and a very strong bond between the pokemon and trainer. In fact, Charizard seems to have two different Mega Evolutions due to two different megastones. Mew also gave me the knowledge on how to find megastones using Aura Sight."

"This is the first time I am hearing about Mega-evolution. If you ever have a pokemon with the capability to Mega Evolve, will you please let me study the phenomenon?" Oak asked going into professional researcher mode.

"Of course Professor, you don't even need to ask. Now if you will excuse me I will head off deeper into the corral to find a larger pond to train Cherry in." Ash said before he returned Cherry and headed off. Oak just nodded his head and then turned back to return to his lab.

A couple of days later, Ash found himself sitting beside his mom at Professor Oak's at noon. Professor Oak gave his mother a luxury ball after the normal pleasantries were taken care of. "Thank you for taking care of Magik for me Professor."

"No need to thank me Delia. It was a pleasure to have him around. His telepathic abilities had helped me in my research over the years. In fact, I am sad see him go really."

"Oh don't worry Professor, Magik will be around if you need help. Now me and Ash must really be going. See you Monday morning." Delia said as Professor Oak nodded his head and returned back to the lab. Delia picked up the small rug sack she had beside her before leading her son to the corral. After they were out in the open, Delia called out a powerful looking Alakazam.

" _It's nice to see you again Delia and is that little Ash? I can't believe how big you have gotten. I remember helping your mother take care of you for your first year of life."_ Magik said using telepathy.

"It's nice to see you too Magik, but can you please use **Teleport** to take Ash and me to the Saffron City?" Delia asked.

" _Going to visit Jim? I will be nice to see my baby sister again."_ Magik said before his eyes started glowing bright blue with psychic energy. A moment later mother, son and pokemon all vanished in thin air only to appear in front of a Pokemon Center. _"Here you go Delia. Call me out when you get to the Gym."_ Magik said gesturing for Delia to return him. Delia did as he wanted and then turned to Ash, "Come on Ash, let's go meet your Uncle Jim, Aunt Julie and cousin Sabrina. Jim is the Gym leader of the Saffron City Gym."

After walking for a few minutes' mother and son duo arrived at the gym. Entering the Gym through the main gate, they walked towards the residential area of the gym. As they were headed there, one of the gym trainers stopped them. The man had a bald head and a spoon in his hand, "Hey, where do you think you are going? That the Gym leader and his family's residential area. You are not authorized to go there. If you are searching for the Gym Leader, I will get him for you."

"I think that I am authorized to meet visit my brother and sister-in-law in their home, especially after letting them know that we were coming over for a visit. Don't you think so too?" Delia said with a kind smile on her face.

"What's going on here? Oh Delia I was wondering when you and Ash would show up. Has Jones been giving you trouble?" Julie asked giving Jones a glare.

"Sorry mam, I didn't know that they are your…" Jones started before Julie cut him off, "Family, I believe that I had informed all of the trainers that a couple of family members will come for a visit today at around Noon. Or has that notice completely escaped your notice, as usual with all the other notices." Jones just shook his head and quickly left.

"Sorry about him, he is a good student but seems to have some trouble remembering anything not related to battling or psychic powers. He also has an annoying habit of trying to prevent others from seeking Jim out on their own. Come on, lets introduce young Ash to Sabrina. I hope that Ash will be able to make Sabrina show some emoting again. I fear that if this continues, it will be bad for everyone." Julie said leading the duo towards the residential area.

Ash and Delia were showed where their rooms would be. Delia got the same room she grew up in, while Ash was given Jim's old room. After settling down, Delia and Ash met Julie in the sitting room where a twelve-year-old girl with green hair was sitting. Beside her sat her a man with a large beard and brown hair.

"Ash this is your Uncle Jim, you have already met your Aunt Julie and this is your cousin Sabrina. My how you have grown since I last saw you Sabrina dear." Delia said with her characteristic smile adorning her face. Ash just said an exuberant Hi before becoming silent.

"Hi Ash, it's nice to see you again. Last time I saw you was when you were just born. I tried to convince your mother to stay here for a while, but Delia being her old stubborn self didn't even think about it. So what is this I hear about meeting Mew and being granted a gift?" Jim asked.

"Oh nothing much Uncle, Mew was impressed with my, as she said, 'I was flying about when I saw your act of kindness and I was quite impressed. It's not every day I see a human, one so young no less, be so selfless as to approach an injured wild pokemon with thoughts of helping it.' She then asked what I wanted to be and that she wanted to reward me for my kindness." Sabrina listened impassively yet inside her the chains on her emotions were being unfettered. Jim and Julie were looking at Ash with awe.

"After she gifted me the knowledge, which included knowledge related to pokemon training, I passed out. When I woke up in my bed I had a headache and fuzzy memories. While I was having dinner, all the knowledge that Mew gave me suddenly, ah I don't know, started making sense and I could use both my psychic and aura powers to a great degree." After he finished, Delia just laughed out at Jim and Julies expressions. Both had their jaws hanging open. Here was a boy no older that six saying that he had enough understanding of both of his powers already to use them to a great degree.

"So what can you do?" Sabrina asked with an uncharacteristic undertone to her voice. It was this uncharacteristic undertone that brought Jim and Julie out from their shocked state. It was the first time in a while did they hear their daughter show any kind of emotion, but they could feel her excitement form the undertone of her voice.

"I can use telekinesis on multiple objects at the same time but nothing larger that a Golem. I can also use **Teleport** a couple of times before I get a headache from all the concentration. I can use Aura Sight and aura to enhance my body. I can also form a rudimentary **Aura Sphere**. Cherry suggested that I may be able to use one power to amplify the other and it does work, but after a few minutes it leave me tired. Oh and I can use telepathy and the Aura Translation Trick to communicate with pokemon." Ash gushed unaware of the incredulous faces on the adults and the mildly surprised and excited expression on Sabrina's.

"Ashy you can use **Teleport**?" Delia asked.

"And **Aura Sphere** too?" Jim added.

"Yes I can use **Teleport** and **Aura Sphere** , but the **Aura Sphere** is far from perfected. Though it seems that I can use **Force Palm** as is a basic aura based fighting move. I am also trying to learn **Psybeam**. Cherry is as much my trainer as I am hers'." Jim nodded his head in understanding before Sabrina asked, "Who's Cherry?"

"Oh Cherry is my Magikarp. Because she is shiny, and Professor Oak said that shiny Gyarados are red in color, I named her Cherry." Julie decided to asked the question that had been plaguing her, "Is she the same pokemon you helped?"

"Yep, she didn't want to leave me so she asked Mew to tell the Professor to capture her."

"Now that's dedication. So Ash why don't you and Sabrina get to know each other while we adult's catch up." Jim suggested. "Alright Uncle. Hey Sabrina do you have any pokemon?"

"Come with me Ash, we are going to the battle field, I want to see Cherry and you can meet Abra. He is training with his mom, who happens to be dads Alakazam." Sabrina said using her psychic powers to float up and lead the way. "Oh before I go, mom can I take Magik with me? He did say that his sister was here."

"Sure Ash, I would have released him later but if you want to take him with you, you can." Delia said before throwing Ash Magik's pokeball.

After following Sabrina for a few moments, floating himself. He had to say that it was good way to exercise his psychic powers. "So Sabrina how do you control you powers?"

"I lock away my emotions so that they don't mess up my control. So how do you control your powers?" Sabrina explained in an emotionless way.

"I see, but the knowledge Mew gave me related to my psychic powers and how to control them was her own method to control. The only thing required is a very strong concentration and the ability to ignore your emotions when it is required. Locking away one's emotions lead to loss of potential. You see, to use **Teleport** you have to concentrate on the destination and channel your fear without letting your emotion messing up your concentration. Can you use the **Psychic**?"

"Yes but it's very weak. Why do you ask?" Sabrina asked letting her surprise color her tone.

"Simple to get full power behind **Psychic** you should let anger and determination bleed out into your concentration. In doing so you will amplify the power behind your attack." Ash explained from the knowledge he got from Mew. Sabrina nodded her head, "Alright I will stop sealing away my emotions and start using them to amplify my power, but I will require a sparring partner."

"Oh I will be your sparring partner if you like. Every weekend I will come by and we can spend two days hanging out and sparring. Now that I know where the Gym is, I can easily teleport here without a problem."

"Thank you Ash, I don't know what would have happened if you didn't come here. And here is the battle field." Sabrina said lowering down to the floor. Ash followed her example and walked into the battle area. Upon entering the room, Ash saw a female Alakazam teaching a young Abra **Psybeam**.

"So that's how its done. I have to concentrate the psychic energy into a small point before releasing it in a beam instead of forcing the psychic energy into a beam like form." Ash mused which broke both psychic type pokemon from their training. Upon seeing Sabrina, Abra quickly teleported to Sabrina's side and looked at Ash curiously.

"Come on out Magik." Ash said releasing his moms Alakazam. _"Hello again Ash, where's Delia?"_ Magik asked before the female Alakazam suddenly teleported to Magik's side and hugged him. _"Brother it's been too long. So this is Delia's son?"_ The female Alakazam asked after letting her brother go.

" _Mom who is this? And Sabrina who is the kid beside you?"_

" _Young one meet my brother Magik. He is Jim's sister's starter. And…"_ Alakazam said before Sabrina interrupted her, "This is my cousin Ash Ketchum. He is my Aunt Delia's son and he has been blessed by Mew. Mew gave him knowledge on how to use his psychic and aura powers to a great degree. He can even use **Teleport** , **Aura Sphere** and trying to learn **Psybeam**." Abra just nodded his head in understanding before doing a double take. _"Wait did you say that a human can use_ _ **Teleport**_ _,_ _ **Aura**_ _ **Sphere**_ _and_ _ **Psybeam**_ _?_

"Yep I can use **Teleport** , **Force** **Palm** , **Aura** **Sphere** and may be able to use **Psybeam** now." Ash explained before Magik asked, _"Well you can test your_ _ **Psybeam**_ _out on me. I can use_ _ **Protect**_ _to prevent the attack from harming me."_

Ash nodded his head and then motioned towards the field. Ash took one side and Magik the other. Sabrina decided to watch from the sidelines along with Alakazam and Abra. At first Ash's eyes started to glow with psychic energy before rainbow colored energy appeared in his right palm. After a few more moments, Ash raised his palm towards Magik and launched a very compressed beam of rainbow colored psychic energy at his mom's Alakazam. Magik was able to create a green colored shield around him and when the **Psybeam** hit, he started to struggle in maintaining the shield.

' _Arceus, that is the strongest_ _ **Psybeam**_ _I have ever faced. No wonder Lady Mew took an interest in him. Such potential still left untapped, I must help him realize his true strength.'_ Magik thought with determination. Soon the **Psybeam** ended and so **Magik** let his Protect barrier drop as well. _"That was the strongest Psybeam I have ever faced. Yet you still have a lot to learn Ash. Will you let me help you train your psychic powers?"_

"I would love to have your help Magik and thank you for the complement on my **Psybeam**." Ash said with gratitude. Magik nodded his head before teleporting over to his sister and her son.

"Ash that was incredible, now I believe that you promised to introduce me to Cherry." Sabrina teased with a rare smile gracing her lips. Sabrina moved over to a panel at the side of the Gym Leaders seat and pressed some buttons. Soon the battle field changed into a water field with many floating platforms.

"All gyms have a water field for pokemon that are completely useless on land. Now release Cherry, I have never seen a shiny pokemon before." Sabrina commanded with impatience. Ash complied with her command and released Cherry who materialized in a flash of red energy.

"Hey Cherry meet my cousin Sabrina, my mom's Alakazam, Magik, Uncle Jim's Alakazam and Sabrina's Abra."

" _Hello everyone,"_ Cherry said shyly and got hello's in return, even from Sabrina. _"So Ash where are we?"_

"We are at the Saffron City Gym; Uncle Jim is the Gym Leader here."

After that Ash and Sabrina started hanging out with each other while the pokemon hung out as well. This continued for the whole day and the most of the next before Ash and Delia had to leave.

"Mom can I come and visit every weekend. I promised Sabrina that I would help her with her training." Ash asked giving his mom the puppy dog eyes.

"If your Uncle and Aunt doesn't have any problems with that then you can, but you will have to have Magik with you. Is that alright with you Jim, Julie?" Jim just nodded his head and Julie replied, "It's no problem at all Delia. Why don't you accompany him as well?"

"I have my flower shop and Restaurant to consider you know. Can't close them down every weekend. It's the busiest time of the week."

"Yea I can understand, but why didn't you open a Pokemon Gym in Pallet? You have enough credentials to open one." Jim asked.

"Oh I could but then I would have to get back to serious training and that would take away a lot of my time that I keep allocated for Ash. But after he starts his journey, I think that I will open up the Gym. Do you think that a Gym that specializes in variety will work?"

"Of course it will work. In fact, if I am not mistaken, when Blue was the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym, it had specialized in variety. Alright in four more years, I will apply for a Gym Leader license. Now Ash we have to get back home. in three days, we leave for Cameran Palace in the Kingdom of Rota. Melisa and Ilene are very eager to meet you. We will be there for a month. Bye Jim, Julie, Sabrina take care." Delia said as she released Magik.

"See you in a month Uncle Jim, Aunt Julie, Sabrina." Ash said before Magik teleported them back to Pallet Town. Ash, Delia and Magik appeared in front of Delia's house. After entering the house, Magik went towards the sitting room and sat down on a couch. Ash and Delia went upstairs to their respective bedrooms to change into casual cloths. Afterwards Delia made a delicious dinner for the three of them. Following dinner Magik was returned to his pokeball while Ash and Delia went to sleep.

A few days later, Ash and Delia found themselves at the front gates of Cameran Palace of Rota. Delia had Magik teleport them to the front gates. At the gates, Layla was waiting for the duo to arrive. "Morning Delia and you must be young Ash. It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Layla, the Head Maid and personal Maid to the Queen."

"Ah Hello…" Ash said with uncharacteristic shyness. Delia just smiled broadly and said, "Morning to you to Layla. How has things been here?"

"Oh things have been the usual. Mew popping up and taking things that interest it, young Princess Ilene still trying to skive off her lessons on history, etiquette and politics. Milady getting a headache from the all the administrative work. The same old, same old really. Follow me you two, Milady wanted me to directly lead you two to her private sitting chambers." Layla led Ash and Delia through the castle and towards the Queen and her family's personal chambers. On the way, Ash turned his head left and right taking in all the artwork strewn around the palace.

Upon entering a large and posh chamber, Ash saw a set of richly made antique couches in royal blue. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and the walls were made of grey stone, similar to the outside of the castle. Many different paintings and portraits hung on the wall, but one portrait in particular drew Ash's attention.

The portrait was of a young man with spiky black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue hat with a pokeball symbol, blue gloves with crystals embedded in them, blue boots and a blue cape. The man had a staff in his hands with a large crystal affixed on top. The same staff was hung on two hooks right below the portrait. He had unknowingly moved over to the portrait and just as Ash was about to touch the staff a melodious voice startled him, "That is Sir Aaron, our ancestor and the greatest hero The Kingdom of Rota has ever seen."

Ash turned to meet a young girl about twelve years' old who was pretty in Ash's opinion. She had blonde hair and green eyes. "Um Hello, you must be Princess Ilene. I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Nice to meet you." Ash said bowing. Ilene just looked at Ash with amusement, "Ash there is no need for formalities, we are family. You can call me Ilene or even Sis if you want."

"Alright I will call you Sis and Sabrina explicitly told me that she would dunk me into a pond if I called her that. So Sis are you interested in pokemon training?"

"Unfortunately no, though I do have a Mime Jr. As the heir to the throne of Cameran, I have to always be a lady, regal and poised and according to Layla, battling is unladylike. I still like to play with pokemon though."

"Oh that's too bad, I thought that both my cousins are into battling. It's alright though, we can spend time talking and playing with pokemon. How about I introduce you to Cherry, she's my Magikarp."

"I would love to…" Ilene started to say before his mother and another woman interrupted her. The other woman was very beautiful and had similar hair and eye color to Ilene's. He easily deduced that she was Queen Melisa, his Aunt. "Hello Aunt Melisa." Ash said with a smile.

"Hello Ash I have been wanting to meet you for some time now. You look just like your father did at your age. Now what's this I here that you have met a Mew that had known Sir Aaron himself?" Melisa asked with a smile.

"Wait you met a Mew that knew Sir Aaron?" Ilene asked with excitement and with those questions, Ash again begun to explain his encounter and the powers he had. After explaining everything, both the Queen and Princess had awed expressions on their faces.

"I think that everyone should stir down for a while before someone faints." Delia said directing the last part to the Queen who had the decency to blush. Just as everyone was about to move towards the couches, a glint of blue light caught Ash's attention. The light had been emitted by the crystal on the staff. Ash activated his Aura Sight to probe the crystal when he saw the aura signature of a pokemon was inside the crystal. Ash quickly decided that he needed to free that pokemon.

Just as Ash picked up the staff, Delia turned and saw. "Ash put the staff back right now."

"I can't mom, not until I have freed the pokemon trapped in the crystal." Ash started to concentrate and channeled his aura into the staff. After a few moments, the staff glowed blue and in a burst of blue light the pokemon was free. When the flash of light cleared a large bipedal fox like pokemon was seen crouching on the floor. The pokemon was off-white in the chest and blue fur covered him. He had a pair of ear like appendages hanging from the sides of its head. It also had a large metal spike on his chest and two smaller spikes on the outside of its paws. When it stood up, it stood on its toe-tips, or was it paw-tips.

"What is that pokemon?" Ilene asked to no one in particular to which Ash replied, "It's a Lucario. They and their unevolved state, Riolu are able to channel aura. They are native to Sinnoh. The only other pokemon capable of channeling aura in its raw form is Mienfoo and its evolution Mienshao of Unova. At least that is what knowledge Mew gave me." As Ash was explaining this, Lucario caught his bearings and turned to Ash, eyes closed.

" _Why Master? Why did you betray me?"_ Lucario said to Ash confusing Ash's aura with Sir Aaron's. "Lucario I am not the one you think me to be. I am Ash Ketchum a descendent of Sir Aaron's. You have been trapped in the staff for over a century."

Lucario opened its eyes and took in the scene around him. He saw that the space where he sensed Sir Aaron's aura signature was occupied by a six-year-old boy with a remarkable resemblance with his former master. Beside the child was a twelve-year-old girl who bore a resemblance to the Queen he served, Queen Rin. Other than the two children he saw two adult women. One of whom wore the crown worn by Queen Rin. Then re recognized the chamber he was in. it was the Queens personal sitting chamber.

" _Are you descended from Milady Rin? And you said that you were descended from my Master, right?"_ Lucario questioned first to Ilene and then Ash to which both just nodded their heads.

"Lucario both of us are descendent from Sir Aaron and Queen Rin. Both of them were our ancestors. We are cousins you see. Queen Rin's daughter Queen Melina had married Sir Aaron's son Sir Harold Ketchum. I am Princess Ilene and I am descended from their daughter. Ash here is descended from their son." Ilene explained with sympathy for the time displaced pokemon.

" _I see, wait what happened to the warring armies. Master said that he had abandoned the kingdom before sealing me away. I want to know if the war pulled us in as well?"_ Lucario asked.

"Lucario, I am Queen Melisa and I am the present Queen of Rota. To answer your questions, no the war was stopped before it could drag us in. Sir Aaron didn't betray the kingdom as he would have you believe. He sacrificed his life to bring an end to the fighting. I believe that he tried to turn you away from the path he was walking. He is considered the greatest hero the world has ever seen. In a weeks' time we will hold the annual Festival in his honor." The Queen explained in an attempt to change Lucario's mind.

"Lucario, recently I had an encounter with a Mew. She said that it once gave Sir Aaron a gift and even helped him. She said that he was considered 'the greatest hero the world had ever seen. Even the legendries mourn his loss.' So you can see that what he must have tried to do. Don't dishonor his memory by becoming bitter. He was only trying to save you. If I am right, he must have used up all of his aura and used Mew's help in channeling and amplifying it through the Tree of Beginning. Do you know what happens when you use up all of your aura?"

" _We will die. That is what my Master taught me."_ Lucario said before he realized what he said. _"We die if we use up all of our aura, so that is why Master tried to turn me against him and sealed me away. He didn't want me to sacrifice my life along with his. I have been such a fool. So what shall I do now? My Master is dead and my training incomplete. Is there any other Aura Guardian's left?"_

"My father was the last Aura Guardian Master. He and his Lucario sacrificed their lives to save Pacifidlog Town from a tidal wave a couple of months before I was born. I am an Adept because Mew gave me the knowledge required to become an Adept. I just need practice to become a Master. If you want, I will help complete your training." Ash hoped that Lucario wouldn't be offended by his offer while Delia, Melisa and Ilene just watched the events transpire.

" _I… I will accept your teachings Master."_ Lucario said after hesitating for a moment.

"Firstly Lucario just call me Ash, I want to be your friend not owner. Second, after you complete your training, want you to remain here and protect Sis for me. Is that alright with you?" Lucario just nodded his head, _"I will not disappoint you my friend. The Princess will be well protected."_

"Alright now mom, Aunt Melisa can I take Lucario and Sis to the pond in the back gardens and introduce them to Cherry?" Ash asked with excitement. Delia and Melisa nodded their heads before Delia released Magik, "Magik please go with Ash and keep him from attracting trouble. You know how he is a magnet for it."

" _I will keep young Ash safe and sound. Ash you are forbidden from using you powers to try and attract wild pokemon, got it?"_ Magik said as if he was a drill sergeant. Ash could just nod his head remembering the swarm of Beedrill that he attracted before.

" _What did he do?"_ Lucario asked Magik to which Magik replied, _"He tried to amplify his psychic powers with his aura ones and then tried to use_ _ **Hypnosis**_ _to draw in a large swarm of Beedrill. When the_ _ **Hypnosis**_ _ended, let's just say that the swarm wasn't very happy. Luckily me and Cherry are quite powerful and were able to lay waste to the whole swarm."_

" _So what kind of pokemon is Cherry anyway?"_ Magik replied with, _"An unbelievably strong Magikarp. She knows_ _ **Bounce**_ _,_ _ **Dragon**_ _ **Rage**_ _and_ _ **Bubble**_ _ **Beam**_ _in addition to_ _ **Flail**_ _,_ _ **Splash**_ _and_ _ **Tackle**_ _. It's quite humbling to learn that with proper motivation and hard work, we can learn attacks that are otherwise thought to be impossible for us."_ Lucario just nodded his head in understanding.

' _Hmm it seems that Ash has the ability to bring out the best in those he trains I wonder how strong I will become under his training regime.'_ Lucario mused.

After introducing Ilene and Lucario to Cherry, everyone got to know each other better. After that for the rest of the month, during the mornings, Ash, Lucario, Magik and Cherry could be seen training. Ilene would sometimes sit and watch them. During the afternoons, after lunch Ash and Ilene would be seen spending time doing random things. During evenings, everyone would sit together and spend time as a family before having dinner and getting into bed. On the day of the festival, Ash wanted to join the tournament, but his mom told him that only official trainers could join. So he decided to watch the tournament with his mom, Aunt, cousin and Lucario in the Queens private balcony. The winner of the tournament was a young guy by the name of Riley and his Lucario.

" _He is an Aura Guardian or at least one in training. It's interesting to see a Guardian from a different region and a modern one to boot. Don't you think so Ash?"_

"To me Lucario, he is the first Aura Guardian I am seeing, so he is already interesting."

After that the rest of the month flew by as it was going before festival and when it was time to leave, Lucario decided to leave with Ash till his training was complete.

Over the next four years, Ash's control over his powers kept growing along with the strength of said powers. On the anniversary of his fateful encounter with Mew, said pokemon suddenly popped up in the living room of his and his moms house and gave him Three pokemon eggs. One was a blue one that hatched into a Riolu and later evolved into a Lucario, nicknamed Ferrum. Another was a reddish orange one and that hatched into a Charmander called Blaze. After three years, Blaze is now a powerful Charizard. The final egg was forest green in color with deep viridian green patches which later hatched into a Snivy. Ash named the Snivy, Midori and after three years of constant training Midori evolved into a fine and healthy example of a Serperior.

Also over the four years, Ash had gone to a summer camp Professor Oak had arranged and it was there he met his best friend Serena Rider. Serena's mom was a Rhyhorn racer and had later moved to the Kalos region. Ash and Serena still kept in contact through phone calls, letters and email. Ash had helped Sir Aaron's Lucario complete his training and had himself completed his own training. He had also helped Sabrina master her powers without locking her emotions away. Over the course of the years, Ash had also become very close to his cousins Sabrina and Ilene.


	2. Chapter 1 - Start of a Journey

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokemon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks(Pokemon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokedex_

' _Pokethoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokespeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Start of a Journey**

It was a beautiful morning and a ten-year-old boy could be seen dodging **Aura** **Spheres** , **Ice** **Beams** , **Flamethrowers** and **Energy** **Balls** , and at the same time returning **Psybeams** and **Aura** **Spheres** at the collection of pokemon attacking him in a clearing in the forest close to his home town.

Dodging another **Aura** **Sphere** from a Lucario, the kid back flipped and landed on the back of a red Gyarados that tried to get in close and hit the kid with an **Aqua** **Tail**. There the kid launched a powerful **Psybeam** into the neck of the Gyarados and then jumped to avoid the **Thunder** **Punch** a Charizard tried hit him with from above only for the attack to miss and hit the Gyarados. While in the air, the kid launched a barrage of **Aura** **Spheres** and **Psybeams** at the Lucario and Charizard, since the Gyarados was still stunned from the **Psybeam** , **Thunder** **Punch** combo it got. When the kid landed on the ground, he was unable to dodge the **Fire** **Blast** and **Flash** **Cannon** combo launched at him so he put up a blue **Aura** **Barrier** to hold off the attack. When the attacks faded and the barrier was dropped, the kid could be seen panting along with the Lucario and Charizard. As the Gyarados was about to attack, the ground behind the kid broke apart and a large Serperior came out of the newly made hole and quickly wrapped the kid using a **Wrap**.

" _Ready to give up yet Ash?"_ A female voice said from beside his face. Turning his head, Ash aw the face of his beloved Serperior, Midori.

"Damn I thought that got you with that **Psybeam**. I really have to stop assuming something without proof. Great job Midori, you had me fooled in the end. Alright guys its time that we stop training for the day or Magik will come and scold us again. But before we return home, Ferrum you need to increase the accuracy of your attacks." Said Lucario just nodded his head.

"Blaze you need to stop broadcasting your position every time you attack. If you hadn't roared before you tried to hit me with the Thunder Punch, you would have been successful. You can roar after a successful attack." Blaze just nodded his head in understanding.

"Finally Cherry, you have the same problem as Blaze. You try to overpower your opponents and roar before your attacks. Power isn't everything and as I said to Blaze, you can roar after a successful hit."

" _I got it, I must keep my arrogance in check. It will be hard in the beginning, but I will not disappoint you Ash._ " Cherry said with conviction. _"And neither will us."_ Midori said for the rest to which Ferrum and Blaze nodded their heads.

"Alright let's get back home, today we become an official team and can start our journey so let's get going." Just as Ash was about to return his pokemon, Magik appeared in the clearing, _"Ash if you don't hurry, you will be the last one to arrive at Professor Oak's."_

"We were just leaving Magik, but since you are now here mind giving us a lift?" Ash requested. _"Not a problem at all, return them to their pokeballs and I will teleport you to the back garden. Delia needs to get to Oak's today to pick up her Gym Leader License as well."_

"Oh man I forgot about that. She I going to open up her Gym tomorrow too bad that she had to set a limit of six badges to be able to challenge her Gym. I really wanted to be the first to win a Diamond Badge. Anyway let's get going." Ash said returning all of his pokemon before Magik teleported Ash and himself to the back yard of the Ketchum residence. After a quick shower, a change of clothes and a quick breakfast, Ash ran off towards Professor Oak's laboratory with his mother following. When he reached the lab, he saw Gary Oak, a boy he had seen around the town and a read haired girl. The girl was a friend of Ash's, who went by the name of Leaf.

"Yo Gary, Leaf; excited about getting your first pokemon?" Ash asked with a smile.

"Even if you get a pokemon Ash, it doesn't mean that you are going to be a Pokemon Master. I am already much farther down along the path that you can even dream off." Gary said in a condensing tone. Ash and Leaf just shook their heads in exasperation. Gary Oak's arrogance knew no bounds and that was something that will cause him to fall in the future.

"Good morning Ash, Mrs. Ketchum. Have you decided what pokemon you are going to choose Ash? I hope that I will get a Bulbasaur. They are so cute." Leaf had an unparalleled love for grass pokemon. Delia just nodded her head in greeting and then entered Professor Oak's lab.

"It doesn't matter what pokemon you choose; I will get the best pokemon there." Gary said with his nose held high in the air. Ash and Leaf just snickered before Ash said with a smug expression, "You will get a Squirtle. You have been bragging about getting a Squirtle since the summer camp three years ago." Leaf couldn't help it anymore and burst out laughing along with the other boy. Gary just continued to sputter.

Delia came out carrying a box and a Diamond badge pinned to the front of her dress. "Alright kids get in there and get your license and starters." Delia was about to leave when Gary asked the question floating around everyone except Ash's head, "Ah Mrs. Ketchum what's in that box you are carrying and what's with the badge?"

"Well Gary you have been obviously seen the Pallet Town Pokemon Gym being built for some time and have been wondering who the Gym Leader is right?" The kids just nodded their heads, "Well the badge pinned to my dress certifies me as the Gym Leader, just as my brother is the Gym Leader of Saffron City Gym."

"Ah hasn't Sab taken over yet?" Ash asked with confusion. "Last week she said that she would be the Leader I would have to face after starting my journey."

"Sabrina will take over next month Ash, now kids get your pokemon and get out on the road to start your journey. Oh Ash before you leave, please swing by the Gym, Ilene and Melisa wanted to see you off." Delia said before Magik popped up before he teleported her away.

"Alright guys how about we get in there and let the Professor return to his vital research." Ash said with enthusiasm. After entering the lab, the kids saw a machine holding exactly three pokeballs.

"Well it looks like one of us aren't getting a starter, eh Ashy-boy?" Gary said trying to rile Ash up.

"What I didn't say that I will be taking one of the starters. I already have four pokemon, I am here only because I need my Training License and I had promised to take a problematic pokemon off Professor Oak's hands."

"As if, you are just trying to act cool. And if you do have pokemon then your mom must have given them to you." Gary said not wanting to accept that Ash already had a pokemon, let alone four.

"If what you said is true, can you show me your pokemon?" Leaf asked before the other boy said, "The name's Clio and I would also like to see your pokemon."

Ash just nodded his head to their requests before Professor Oak entered. The Professor had already heard what Gary had said and decided to clarify certain points.

"Gary Ash's first pokemon was a Magikarp that he helped four years ago. She didn't want to leave Ash and so I captured her for Ash. The other three were given to him as eggs and he has raised them very well. Ash if you want after I have given them their starters and all of you your Training Licenses I will give you the pokeball of the pokemon that has been caushing me trouble. You can try to get to it in the back. All of you are welcome to observe how Ash handles disobedient and troublesome pokemon." All the kids, even Gary were eager to see how Ash would fail.

"Alright one by one please come up here and choose your starters, ladies first." Leaf came forward and picked up the pokeball that had a green leaf marked on it. Gary was next and picked up the pokeball marked with a blue bubble. Clio was last and picked up the remaining pokeball with a reddish orange flame mark on it. Together all three released their starters.

A female Bulbasaur stood beside Leaf and was looking at her trainer with happiness. A Squirtle that had an air of arrogance hanging about it was seen posing beside his trainer smirking and Gary had a similar smirk on his face. Clio's Charmander was a bit shy and tried to hide behind Clio's leg, but looked up in surprise at his trainer's kind smile.

"Oh what a cute Bulbasaur…" was all Leaf said before hugging her starter. "I told you I would get the best and Squirtle is the best." Gary said to which Squirtle gravely nodded its head. "Don't worry Charmander, no one is going to harm you. I will make sure of that and but the time you are a Charizard, you will be nearly unstoppable." Charmander just nodded his head before walking out from behind Clio's legs.

"Alright kids this here is a pokedex. It's a high-tech encyclopedia on pokemon from the region. For each region there will be a different pokedex. Now a pokedex also functions as your ID and license. So don't lose it." Oak said before giving Gary, Leaf and Clio a red pokedex each. Then he turned towards Ash and gave him a blue pokedex.

"Ash as I am not being the one to sponsor you, this pokedex was created at the behest of Queen Melisa of the Kingdom of Rota. This is a Guardians Pokedex created by the research division of the Order of Aura Guardians of Rota. The Queen sent this to me so that I could give this to you and also inform Mr. Goodshow, the president of the pokemon league, that an Aura Guardian has decided to become a trainer and as such your party limit is twelve pokemon instead of six. It has advanced information gathering capabilities such as Aura Signature scanning and Aura Compatibility checking apps. Other than that, it also has information from the Guardians Archives programmed into it. Also take these transceivers your pokedex is also a Porygon and it can help you transport pokemon into and out of your party in the wild." Ash just nodded his head and accepted the pokedex. He made a mental note to thank his aunt for this awesome pokedex.

"Oh right before I forget this here came for you. Professor Sycamore of Lumiose from the Kalos region wanted me to give this to you." Oak showed Ash a black stone and a blue stone with a blackish blue mark in the center. "The black stone is the keystone and the other is a Charizardite X. It's one of the two megastone's for Charizard." Oak said handing the megastone and the helical shaped keystone to Ash, who quickly put them in his pockets.

"What the hell are they talking about Leaf? Aura Guardians? Megastones? Keystones?" Gary asked Leaf in a whisper.

"I have read about Aura Guardians in fairytales and such as the one in which Cameran Palace was once saved by an Aura Guardian named Sir Aaron who later married the Queen, but I just thought that they were just that fairytales." Leaf said.

"Unluckily Leaf, the fairytale doesn't do justice to my ancestors. Sir Aaron had died trying to save Cameran and had succeeded. Queen Rin already had a daughter by the name of Melina and it was Melina who married Sir Harold Ketchum, Sir Aaron's son. Me and my cousin Princess Ilene are descended from that union." Ash said in a grave voice scaring Leaf, before turning to Professor Oak. "Alright Professor where is this pokemon and what is it?"

"Here you go Ash." Professor Oak said pushing button on the stand I which the starters pokeballs were kept. A pokeball with a lightning bolt symbol on it. Ash just took the pokeball and walked out into the corral and towards the pond. Everyone followed Ash to see what he would do.

First Ash released his pokemon. Cherry into the pond and the others on the ground. Blaze stood to his left while Midori and Ferrum were on his right, closing off all escape routes. "Guys this Pikachu is highly hostile but don't give it any reason to be more hostile than normal." Ash said to which all of his pokemon agreed. Ash released the Pikachu and waited for it to get its bearings.

" _Damned humans, think that they own everything. How did they even create those torture devices I don't know but I am going to shock any one that tries to put me back in there."_ Pikachu ranted before he saw that he was surrounded by powerful pokemon and a kid. The kid was wearing a blue hat with a pokeball symbol. He was wearing a blue and off-white jacket, dark blue trousers, blue boots and blue gloves with crystals embedded on it. He then saw the pokeball in the kid's hand. With a startled yelp Pikachu tried to shock the kid yelling, _"Ahh, keep that thing away from me."_ But to his surprise his **Thunder** **Shock** just splashed off a bluish shield. _"That wasn't a barrier created by_ _ **Protect**_ _, was it?"_ Pikachu wondered to itself.

"No it was a barrier created by manipulating aura. It's called an **Aura** **Barrier** and it's just as effective as a **Protect**. Now from your reaction, you don't like pokeballs much do you?" Pikachu just stared at the boy before his senses kicked in. _"Did you just understand me?"_

"Yes I understood what you said. I am a Psychic and an Aura Guardian. It's easy to understand pokemon through both telepathy and using the Aura Translation trick. Now can you tell me why you are so hostile to humans? From what I heard about you, you have been with the Professor for three days and every time he lets you out, you shock him. He asked me to take you off his hands, so first you have to tell me why you are so hostile?"

" _I don't like pokeballs and you humans force us into pokeballs against our wishes. Three days ago I was looking for some berries for my sick friend… EEVEE, please just let me go or else she will die."_ Pikachu begged wanting hoping that he wasn't too late.

"Alright I can understand. You were just trying to get back to your sick friend. Lead the way, I can't leave a sick pokemon without help." Ash said returning all of his pokemon except Ferrum. As Ash was about to leave, Leaf tried to stop him. "Ash where are you going?"

"Sorry guys but there is a sick Eevee out there and I can't let her suffer any more." Ash said turning to Pikachu and motioned for Pikachu to lead.

"Ash meet me in Viridian City Pokemon Center, alright?" Leaf shouted to which she got a faint alright. Professor I think I will leave now and make my way towards Viridian City." Leaf said before returning Bulbasaur and running out. Gary and Clio just shrugged their shoulders and left. Oak just smiled at Ash's need to help pokemon.

After running through the woods for a few minutes, Ash, Pikachu and Lucario reached a hollowed out stump of a dead tree. Inside the stump was a sick Eevee. Upon seeing Ash, she cringed back but then Pikachu approached.

" _Eevee how are you? Sorry for being late but I was caught by a human. This is Ash he is here to help. I know that you don't trust humans after what your old trainer did, but Ash is an Aura Guardian. You know that Aura Guardians always look out for pokemon. Please come on out and let him take care of you."_ Pikachu tried to coax Eevee out by begging. Eevee just nodded her head and then stood up on shaky paws and walked out before falling into Ash's arms. Ash quickly picked Eevee up and then called out Blaze.

"Ferrum meet me at mom's Gym, come on Pikachu get on and hold tight." Ash said before jumping onto Blaze's back. "Blaze go as quickly as you can." Ash said after Pikachu was comfortable settled on Blaze's back. No needed to be told twice, Blaze jumped into the air and quickly made his way towards the Pallet Town Pokemon Gym. Ferrum following closely on the ground using **Extremespeed** and Aura Sight.

After reaching the Gym, Ash quickly lead the Pikachu and Blaze into the Gym with Ferrum walking in last. "Mom I have a very sick Eevee here and I think that she's been poisoned." Following Ash's shout Delia, Ilene and Melisa came out. Delia was holding a couple of antidotes and pecha berries in her hand. She also had a few oran and sitrus berries. Ilene was holding a motar and pestle and a knife.

Ash quickly mash up the berries into a paste, while I give the poor Eevee the antidote. Ash quickly got to work as Delia administered the antidote to the Eevee. After five minutes the fever Eevee was suffering from was broken due to the antidote.

"Ash carefully give Eevee the mash. It will help neutralize any residual poison and help Eevee recover some of her energy. After a couple of hours' rest, it would be best that Eevee be taken to a pokemon center in Viridian City Pokemon Center. I wish the Center here would become active in sooner. One month is still a long way off." Delia complained.

"Alrigh mom." Ash said and tried to carefully feed Eevee the mash. Eevee was quite reluctant at first but after some coaxing from Ash and Pikachu, she started to eat. After she had completed the bowl, Ash left Eevee on one of the padded seats in the lobby with Pikachu, Ferrum and Blaze watching over her.

"Is Eevee asleep now? How did she even become poisoned anyway?" Ilene asked concerned about the poor pokemon.

"I don't know but from what Pikachu said and Eevee's reaction to humans, she had been abused by her previous trainer before being released. If I ever meet him or her, he better hope that he has his will ready." Ash said with anger coloring his voice.

"Ash come down, there is no need to act rashly. As a certified Aura Guardian, you have the right to revoke a trainer's license with due cause. The Pokemon League accepts a Guardian's decision without question. If you find him, then revoke his license and have him hauled off to prison." Ilene said in an attempt to calm Ash down and succeeded. Ash just nodded his head.

"Now we wanted to see you off so here we are. Also I have a gift for you." Ilene said before taking out a small gift wrapped box. Ash opened the box and found a watch with a screen on it. "Ash this is a X-Transceiver. It's a communication device created in Unova and it allows the user to call someone from nearly anywhere in the world. I want you to promise me that you will keep in contact with everyone, alright?"

"Thank you Sis this is the best gift I have gotten. I promise to call everyone every couple of days." Ilene just nodded her head and smiled.

"Now Ash since you have such a poor sense of direction I have a gift for you as well." Delia said before giving as a box. Upon opening the box, Ash found that there was a small device the size of a phone in it.

"That is a PokeNav Ash. It is directly connected to the GPS system and shows the map of the region you are in at the moment, but you can load up another map if you want. It also has the ability to place calls but it doesn't have video calling capabilities. Please use the PokeNav to prevent yourself from getting lost. I also want you to keep in contact. Call at least twice a week honey." Ash just nodded his head before they began to relax for a couple of hours.

A couple of hours later, Ash asked Pikachu and Eevee if they would like to join his family. After pondering for some time, both consented so Ash caught Eevee.

"So guys do you want nicknames?"

" _I don't want a nickname, but if you want to give me one you can."_ Pikachu said while Eevee just weakly nodded her head in excitement.

"Alright Pikachu you won't have a nickname, but for you Eevee, how about Angel?"

" _I love the nickname, so please call me Angel from now on."_ Angel requested to which Ash and his pokemon nodded their heads. After that Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum were walking down Route 1 towards Viridian City. As they were walking don't the road they saw that a storm was approaching and decided to quickly get to their destination.

As they continued their journey, they noticed a red haired girl fish another girl out of the river holding an injured Bulbasaur in her hands. Ash realized that the girl holding the Bulbasaur was Leaf and so approached to two girls.

"Hey are you alright?" The red haired girl asked Leaf to which she got a weak, "Yea, but poor Bulbasaur isn't."

"Leaf what happen to you and Bulbasaur?" A male voice asked from behind the red haired girl. The said girl turned and saw Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum standing there. "Was passing by a field and decided to have lunch. I threw away a rock that accidentally struck a…" was all Leaf was able to say before a flock of enraged Spearow tried to attack them. Ash reacted quickly and put up an **Aura** **Barrier** around the group.

"Spearow leave or else." Ash said in a commanding voice but the Spearow were enraged even more. The leader started squawking, _"Move human, that female of your species has hurt my son and she has to pay for that."_

"It was an accident so leave her alone or else you are going to suffer." Ash warned again but the Spearow just ignored his warning and kept attacking the barrier. "So be it…" was all Ash said before he increased the size of the barrier and released Cherry and Blaze. Seeing the two powerful pokemon, the Spearow backed off a little.

"Last chance leave." Ash warned but the leader squawked again and said, _"I already told you human, the female must be punished for harming my son."_

"Alright if that is what you want, Blaze use **Blast** **Burn** , Cherry **Thunderbolt** , Pikachu **Thundershock** , Ferrum **Hyper** **Beam**." As Ash commanded, all of his pokemon charged up their attacks and as soon as Ash let down the barrier, they attacked. The combined might of the four pokemon made short work of the flock and those that were conscious afterwards quickly made themselves scarce.

"Really Leaf you just had to accidentally piss off a flock of Spearow. You must have the worst luck ever. Come on let's head to Viridian City. It's about to rain and I don't want to caught in a down pour." As soon as Ash finished talking, it began raining. The red headed girl and Leaf just started to giggle when a lightning Pikachu struck a bike.

"Ahh my bike, now I have to walk everywhere." The girl cried in anguish.

"Come on we have to find some shelter and I can see a copse of trees that will be perfect." Ash said and directed everyone to the copse of trees. He returned Cherry and Blaze but released Midori so that she could soak in the rain. After reaching the copse of trees, Ash turned to the red haired girl. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt and a blue jeans shorts held up by belts. She had her hair in a short side ponytail.

Ash decided to introduce himself and Leaf to her. "Hi I am Ash Ketchum and this is my friend Leaf." Ash said motioning towards Leaf who waved her hand. "We are from Pallet Town. We just got our trainer license's today. So who are you?"

"I am Misty Waterflower and I am from Cerulean City. So what do you want to become? I want to become a Water Pokemon Master." Misty said with enthusiasm.

"Oh I don't know yet, but I do love grass type pokemon. I may try to become a Grass Pokemon Master. I just don't know yet." Leaf said.

"Oh I want to become a Pokemon master and the greatest Aura Guardian in history." Ash said with equal enthusiasm.

" _Really father, remember to remain humble or else you are in for a major disappointment."_ A rough male voice was heard in their heads. Misty and Leaf were surprised but Ash just chuckled. "Without you and the others, Ferrum, mom wouldn't even want to let me start my journey?" Misty and Leaf's eyes just opened wide in realization.

" _Well someone has to keep you out of trouble or else Magik will tan our hides."_ Ferrum said with a bit of fear.

"How about you get in some training Pikachu. Hey Midori can you help Pikachu learn **Iron** **Tail**?" Midori just huffed and motioned for Pikachu to follow her. Pikachu just hung his head and followed Midori to a secluded part of the copse of trees to begin practicing. After a couple of hours, the rain stopped so everyone decided to head towards Viridian. On the road Misty turned her head into the sky and saw a large pokemon approaching the group. There was rainbow trailing behind it.

"What pokemon is that?" Misty asked when Leaf turned and pointed her pokedex at the pokemon.

 _Pokemon not recognized. There is no data in my archives._

"My pokedex can't identify it. It doesn't have the required files." Leaf said before remembering something, "Ash doesn't your pokedex have special data on it?"

Ash just nodded his head and took out his pokedex. Upon opening it up, the pokedex said _Please assign a name to the pokedex to finalize._ Ash just shrugged and decided to name it Dexter.

 _Name accepted, finalizing please wait…done._ Soon the projector activated and out materialized a pokemon that seemed to be made up of pixels and sharp edges like a computer sprite.

 _I am Dexter a Porygon designed to help Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum in pokemon related matters by the Order of Aura Guardians Research Division Head Dr. Kenshin._

"Dexter I want information on that pokemon. If it's what I think it is, then we are in for a treat." Ash asked Dexter before saying the last part to his companions.

 _Scanning…Scan complete…_

 _That Pokemon is Ho-oh a legendary pokemon native to the Jhoto region. It is said to appear before the pure of heart._

 _Anything else you require Ash Ketchum?_

"That's fine Dexter you can get back to standby mode. Well girls it seems that we are going to meet a Legendary pokemon face to face for the first time. Well second for me." Misty and Leaf were too shocked to realize what Ash had said in the end. After a few minutes, the large bird pokemon softly alighted before the trio. The pokemon was mostly covered in red feathers but there were also hints of gold and black scattered around its body. It carefully observed Ash for a few tense moments before it deigned to speak.

" _Greetings young Ash. Mew had all good things to say about you. We, that is the other legends, were surprised that Mew chose another human to be worthy of a gift, but it seems that she had chosen wisely. It is a pleasure to finally meet you Chosen One."_ A beautiful female voice spoke through the use of telepathy.

"I am honored to be in your presence Lady Ho-oh. May I be bold enough to ask as to why you decided to seek me out?" Ash asked in the tone of a noble. Leaf and Misty just stared incredulously at Ash speaking with a legendary pokemon so casually. The whole noble etiquette followed in their speech didn't escape their notice as well.

" _I am here to bless your journey with good luck and I also have a request that I would like to make of you. Will you accept my daughter as a part of your team? I would like you to train her to be most powerful of her kind. Know this that I don't make this request lightly. After a lot of deliberation and a bit of encouragement from Mew did I come to this conclusion. Now will you accept my request Guardian?"_ Ash nodded his head.

"It will be an honor to train up your daughter to be the strongest of her species. You have my word that she will be treated with kindness and love, by me and my pokemon. I consider my pokemon to be my family, so she will be treated as such."

" _Your words have done a lot to assuage my lingering doubts about the safety of my chick. She will meet up with you at Mt. Moon. Please take good care of her. May your future endeavors be a success and may you be safe on your journey."_ With that said, Ho-oh flew up into the sky leaving a rainbow tailing from her tail. As they group watch Ho-oh's departure, Pikachu pointed out a small rainbow colored feather laying where Ho-oh had taken roost in their brief encounter with her.

"Ash, when did you learn to talk with such eloquence? And how did you keep your cool and talked with Ho-oh with such a nonchalant attitude? We just met a legendary pokemon for Arceus's sake." Leaf practically screamed.

"Yes Ash it seemed as if you have met a Legendary pokemon before. Am I wrong in my assumption?" Misty queried.

"Girls calm down first." As requested, the girls took a few calming breaths before turning to Ash with expectant expressions on their faces. "Now I would like to tell you why I was so calm, but it can't happen out here in the open. We can easily be overheard, so it would be best to continue this interrogation at the Pokemon Centre in Viridian City. Shall we now continue our journey?" After some deliberation both Leaf and Misty nodded their heads and started walking towards Viridian.

After walking for a couple of hours, the trio reached the outskirts of a city. As they walked towards entrance of the city, young woman in a police uniform walked out of the booth beside the gate. The woman had green hair and reddish brown eyes. "Hold it right there. I am Officer Jenny and I want to see your ID's before I let you pass. Some pokemon thieves have been causing trouble, so I can't be too careful you know."

The group just nodded their heads and took out their ID's. Ash and Leaf took out their pokedex's while Misty took out a blue teardrop shaped badge. Officer Jenny took Leaf's pokedex first and opened it up. after punching some keys on the pokedex, the pokedex started to recite all identification information stored in it while at the same time showed a picture of Leaf.

 _This pokedex was programed by Professor Samuel Oak for the trainer Leaf Miles from Pallet Town. It is irreplaceable and if lost, a replacement won't be supplied._

"Alright Leaf you have checked out, here is your pokedex. Now you, girl give me that badge." Officer Jenny said to Misty after returning Leaf's pokedex. Misty gave Jenny the badge and the Officer held it under a scanner and waited for the information to register. After a few moments, the scanner started reciting the information it received.

 _This Badge signifies that Misty Waterflower is a certified Co-Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Pokemon Gym._

Officer Jenny just nodded her head and returned the badge to Misty. "Alright kid you next." Ash just nodded his head handed over his pokedex to the woman.

Officer Jenny opened up the pokedex and was stumped at what she found. Instead of a keypad and a screen, only a projector was seen and from that projector a Porygon formed. After the Porygon had finished materializing, it took in its surroundings and then turned to Officer Jenny.

 _What may I help you with Officer?_

"Dexter my identification please!" Ash requested upon seeing the Officers shocked face.

 _As you wish Ash._

 _I am Dexter a Porygon designed to help Aura Guardian Sir Ash Ketchum in pokemon related matters by the Order of Aura Guardians Research Division Head Dr. Kenshin. Sir Ash resides in Pallet Town and is related to the royal family of Cameran Palace of the Kingdom of Rota and the present head of the Order of Aura Guardians of Rota._

After Dexter revealed all identification information stored in the pokedex it displayed a holographic image of Ash before it dematerialized. Officer Jenny was again so shocked at the revealed information that Ash had to repeatedly call her before she came back to reality.

"Alright kid everything checks out, but are you really an Aura Guardian as your Porygon said?" Jenny asked returning his pokedex.

"Yea I am an Aura Guardian and the present head of the Order. You said something about pokemon thieves. If you need any help, please feel free to ask." Ash said with a serious expression adorning his face.

"If by chance you run into the thieves, will you please try to capture them till the police can get to the scene? If it isn't too much trouble, that is." Officer Jenny said in a tentative voice. Ash just nodded his head and then motioned for the girls to lead the way to the Pokemon Centre.

After five minutes of walking, Ash's group stood in front of a large red roofed building with a large pokeball symbol on it. "Well girls it seems that we have reached the Pokemon Centre. Let's get in there and have our pokemon checked. And after a spot of dinner, I will tell you about my behavior during the meeting with Ho-oh in the privacy of my room." The girls nodded their head and then followed Ash into the building.

A pink haired woman in a nurse's uniform stood behind a counter. A pink pokemon with three protrusions on both sides of its head and an egg in a pouch on its stomach stood beside the woman, wearing a nurse's hat.

"Hello I am Nurse Joy. How can I help you three this fine evening?" The now identified Nurse Joy asked with a sweet and kind smile.

Misty walked forward and said, "We would like two rooms please and would you please give our pokemon a checkup?" Nurse Joy just nodded her head and motioned for Chansey to bring out three trays to hold pokeballs and a trolley.

Misty handed over three pokeballs to Nurse Joy while Leaf handed over Bulbasaur's pokeball. Ash handed over five pokeballs and put Pikachu onto the trolley. "Nurse Joy the Eevee I caught recently had been suffering from severe poisoning. I had given her antidotes and a mix of pecha and oran berries this morning when I caught her and it seems that the poisoning has been taken care of. Will you please run a full checkup on Angel to see if there are any lingering effects of the poisoning in her body?" Ash asked with concern for Angel coloring his voice.

"Rest assured young man that if there are any lingering effects of the poisoning, I will make sure that Angel is up and running about in a days' time. Chansey please give our patients a basic examination in the back while I get these trainers their room keys." Chansey just nodded its head and took the trolley into the examination room while Nurse Joy handed Misty their requested keys.

"Your requested rooms are Room no. 7 and Room no. 14. Both are on the second floor and their doors face each other. Hope you enjoy your stay." Nurse Joy said as Misty took the offered keys and smiled. Nurse Joy then walked into the examination room leaving the three preteens in the lobby.

"Well there is no need to stay here and wait. Why don't we head up to our rooms and after we freshen up a bit, you girls meet me in my room. I will explain all that you need to know." Ash said taking the key to Room no. 7 and heading towards it.

After entering it, he closed the door and looked around. The room was small, just enough for two people to comfortably share. It had two beds in it, one against the far wall and the other against the wall opposite the door to the attached toilet. Ash threw his backpack down on the farthest bed and then headed into the toilet to freshen up. After fifteen minutes there was a knock on his door, so he opened it and ushered Misty and Leaf into his cozy little room.

"Well what do you want to know about that incident?" Ash asked without any preamble after the girls sat down on the unused bed.

"Now Ash did you meet a legendary pokemon before Ho-oh or not?" Misty asked eagerly waiting for an answer.

"Yeah I have met a Mew a couple of times since I first met her four years ago. So meeting Ho-oh want that much of a shock." Ash's nonchalant answer seemed to anger Misty.

"You mean to say that meeting legendary pokemon isn't much of a deal? People have to be very lucky to even get a glimpse of a legendary and here you are saying that you have met the same legendary multiple times. Aren't you feeling even a little excited that Ho-oh wanted you to train her daughter?" Leaf nodded her head signifying that she supported Misty's questions.

"Nope. Listen legendary pokemon aren't much different from normal pokemon. True they normally have long lives, are extremely powerful and rare, but they are pokemon none the less and they deserve to be treated as any other pokemon. With kindness, love and respect, not with your current behavior and attitude. It is because of this similar attitude that they don't reveal themselves to humans so easily." Ash's explanation left both Leaf and Misty rethinking their previous assumptions about legendary pokemon.

"Ash how did you learn to talk with such eloquence? It seemed as if you were a noble or a prince."

"Well I am related to the Royal Family of Rota and I am a Knight of the Aura Guardian Order. Also I am the Grand Master of the Order and as such I am given the rank of honorary Grand Duke of Rota. So you see, I had to sit through classes on noble etiquette whenever I used to visit my cousin sister, Princess Ilene of Rota. Anymore questions?" Both leaf and Misty were gob smacked at what they learned about Ash. Leaf had known Ash for three years and didn't know even a tenth of this, while Misty was completely ignorant till now.

"Now about we see if Nurse Joy have finished with her checkup of our pokemon?" Misty and Leaf just nodded their heads, not trusting their voices to work and stood up on shaky legs. Ash lead the girls back down to the lobby and towards Nurse Joy.

"Ash, Misty and Leaf, your pokemon are completely healed. Now Ash as you requested I had put your Eevee through a check and have found that there were still some traces of poison but they were being neutralized by the remains of your treatment. She will be fine by morning, but I advise a couple of days of rest before she starts training again." Ash just nodded his head and waited for Nurse Joy to bring out the pokemon. Nurse Joy headed back into the examination room and after a few moments came out pushing a trolley. Upon the trolley sat Pikachu.

"How are you feeling now Pikachu?" Ash asked with a smile. Pikachu just jumped onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled Ash's cheeks with his own. _"I haven't felt better in a long time. So Ash what shall we do next?"_

"Oh we are just going to rest tonight and then continue our journey in the morning. We will go through the Viridian Forest on our way to Pewter City for our first Gym Battle." Ash explained as he took his other pokemon back. Misty and Leaf followed his example and picked up their pokemon next.

As they were about to head towards the cafeteria, there was an explosion at the front gate. Turning around they saw a blue haired young man and a magenta haired young woman wearing uniforms with a large red R on their fronts standing at the door.

"Prepare for trouble!" the woman started.

"Make it double!" the man said next.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the starts above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" a Meowth finished.

Amazed at the talking Meowth and feeling awkward at the weird introduction, no one could say or do anything but stare at the now identified Team Rocket.

"Look James it seems that we have fried their little brains with our awe-inspiring motto." Jessie, the woman said.

"Your right Jessie, it will only be easier for us to steal their pokemon along with all the other pokemon in the Pokemon Centre."

Before they could even move a step, Ash commanded Pikachu to shoot a **Thundershock** at the three wannabe thieves. "Leave and I will give you a chance to change your ways. Try to continue with your plans and suffer the consequences." Ash said with a commanding aura as he manipulated his aura to give off a sight blue glow from his body.

"As if you could do anything to us kid. Now hand over all the pokemon in this here Pokemon Centre and no one will get hurt." Meowth said.

"Pikachu shock some common sense into them for me please!" Pikachu didn't need to be told twice and quickly struck the three clowns with a weak **Thundershock**.

"AHHH…" all three members of Team Rocket screamed before falling down on the ground, charred by the electricity that had coursed through them. Suddenly they all jumped to their feet and then Jessie and James released an Ekans and a Koffing respectively. Ekans was a purple snake with a yellow rattle on its tail and Koffing was a ball shaped pokemon with a cross mark and multiple holes on its body.

"Ekans use **Poison** **Sting** …" Jessie commanded while James said, "Koffing use **Tackle** …" Ekans opened its mouth and launched a large amount of glowing purple needles at Ash and Koffing charged at Ash with a white glow around it. Ash calmly raised his hand and suddenly a blue shield formed around him and the girls while Nurse Joy was behind the barrier.

Jessie, James and Meowth just watched in awe and horror as the blue shield formed and easily took both of Ekans and Koffing's attacks without any strain. After the attacks stopped Ash released Midori to handle Team Rockets pokemon.

"Midori knock Ekans and Koffing out using **Leaf Storm** and then send the whole group flying using a **Hyper Beam**." Midori just nodded her head, charged up a powerful **Leaf** **Storm** and launched the vortex of glowing leaves at the two poison type pokemon and easily knocked them out. Ekans and Koffing came to a stop at James and Jessie's feet as they looked on in horror at Midori's power. Meowth tried to attack with **Fury** **Swipes** but was hit with the orange-white beam of energy and launched back towards Jessie and James. The **Hyper Beam** followed Meowth and hit Jessie, James and their pokemon. The resulting explosion send the whole group of two humans and three pokemon flying off into the night sky.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BALSTING OFF FOR THE FIRST TIME!" was all that was heard as Team Rocket wa send flying off into the night sky. Soon Officer Jenny rode her motor bike into the Pokemon Centre lobby.

"What happened here? I heard an explosion and came as soon as I could."

"Oh juts the thieves you warned us about Officer Jenny. I didn't think that Midori's **Hyper Beam** would have send them flying off into the sky, but hopefully they won't bother the residents of Viridian City again." Ash explained with a sheepish expression. Misty, Leaf and Nurse Joy just nodded their heads in confirmation.

"Alright it seems that the problem has been taken care of already, but since there is a large hole at the entrance of the Lobby, I will just set a patrol to watch over the hole till it's been fixed. That alright with you Joy?"

"Oh you don't have to go so far Jenny. There is no need for a patrol and the hole will be fixed by tomorrow evening."

"If you say so Joy. Take care kids, Joy." Jenny said as she mounted her motor bike and took off. "Thank you for your help Ash. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here."

"There is no need to worry about what if's Nurse Joy. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and won't return back to the path they were walking." Joy just nodded her head in thanks before every one heard a loud rumbling noise. Everyone turned their heads towards a sheepish Ash and Pikachu.

"Guess me and Pikachu are hungry, so who wants some dinner?" Ash asked trying to quickly redirect the unwanted attention from him and Pikachu.

" _That's father for you. When there is nothing to keep him busy, he is a human Munchlax. It seems that Pikachu is very similar to him as well."_ Ferrum said destroying Ash's plan to redirect the attention from him and Pikachu. Ash and Pikachu just glared at Ferrum who was snickering along with Midori and the others.

"Alright already, I get it me and Pikachu have a large appetite. There is no need to laugh about it." Ash said with an ominous blue glow in his eyes. Pikachu gravely nodded his head, electric sparks flying off his cheek pouches. Everyone just stared at the duo with fear. Nurse Joy quickly hid behind the counter while Misty, Leaf, Midori and Ferrum quickly ran, or slithered in Midori's case, towards the cafeteria.

After everyone left Ash and Pikachu burst out laughing. "I told you that they would run, but I didn't expect you to join me in the joke Pikachu."

" _What can I say; when I was a Pichu, I was quite the prankster. It seems that I haven't lost my touch yet."_ Pikachu said smugly.

"Finally someone with a sense of humor. A bit of free advice though, don't ever prank Cherry. She has no sense of humor and will attack anyone who pranks her. I have been on the receiving end of quite a few of her attacks before and I don't want to face any more." Pikachu took in the grave tone in Ash's voice and nodded his head. "Now how about we get some dinner before we go to sleep. We have a long way to go to reach Pewter City and the Pokemon Gym there."

Dinner was a quiet affair as Misty and Leaf were too fearful of offending Ash while Ferrum and Midori were afraid that their next training session would be that much more difficult if they antagonized Ash any more. Cherry, Blaze and Angel didn't want dinner and went back into their pokeballs for a goodnights sleep. After dinner, Ash recalled Midori and Ferrum before turning to Misty and Leaf.

"So what will you guys do in the morning?"

"Well Ash since you are doing the Gym Challenge, you will eventually challenge the Cerulean City Gym. As I am the Primary Gym Leader, I will be the one to take your challenge. So I will be joining you till at least we reach Cerulean City." Misty explained.

"I think that I will go my own way. I am not planning to participate in the Indigo League yet, so I will travel around and catch more grass type pokemon. We may just bump into each other from time to time though." Leaf said hoping that her friend would understand.

"Alright I understand; you want to grow as a trainer with as little help from an outside influence as you can help it. I did the same during my Aura and Psychic training and training my pokemon. I hope that you stay out of trouble." Leaf just smiled and nodded.

"Leaf before you leave town remember to stock up on medical supplies and pokechow and remember to be very careful while approaching wild pokemon. Some are not very friendly and will attack with little or no warning."

"Thanks for the warning Misty. I will be extra vigilant while approaching wild pokemon."

"Oh before I forget, here take my X-Transceiver and PokeNav numbers. You can make video calls to my X-Transceiver and voice calls to my PokeNav. If you need any advice in training your pokemon just give me a call." Ash said as he handed Leaf a piece of paper with his X-Transceiver and PokeNav numbers.

"Thanks Ash. Ah this is a silly question but why do you have two communication devices with you?' Leaf asked confused.

"Oh the X-Transceiver was a gift from my cousin Ilene and the PokeNav was a gift from my mom. Sis wanted me to keep in contact with everyone while on my journey. Mom decided that I should have my own PokeNav so that I don't get lost. It's just a bonus that the PokeNav is the latest model and has voice calling capabilities." Misty and Leaf just nodded their heads when Ash's X-Transceiver started ringing.

Accepting the call, the face of Sabrina was seen on the small screen. "Hey Ash where are you at the moment?"

"In the Viridian Pokemon Center, why?" Ash replied.

"I still have a month till I have to take over for dad at the Saffron City Gym. Till then I was hoping to travel with you. Is that alright with you?"

"More the merrier I always say. So when are you getting here?"

"When are you planning to leave Viridian?"

"Not until ten at earliest, so you have more than enough time to get your beauty sleep and then get here." Ash said in a joking manner.

"You know that I wake up at the crack of dawn to meditate with Kadabra, Espeon and Drowzee. Anyway I will be seeing you at nine in the morning. Goodnight and don't stop your morning training schedule if you can help it." Ash just nodded his head and smiled, "Goodnight to you to Sab and don't be late. If you are late as usual, then I will leave you behind and you will have to catch up to me in Pewter City." Sabrina just shook her head and hang up.

"Was that a friend of yours?" Misty asked shaking Ash out of his musings.

"Oh that was my cousin Sabrina. We are very close friends, especially since she is as powerful a psychic as me. We used to train together for the last few years. Now I don't know about you two lovely ladies, but I have a strenuous morning workout and training planned with my pokemon, so goodnight." Ash said before he teleported to his room with Pikachu in tow.

"You know, he isn't the first psychic I have met, but he seemed much different than the others. Even his cousin didn't seem so controlled of her emotions as the other psychics I have seen before." Misty stated to Leaf.

"Well I haven't met any other psychics before, but Ash was always quite the energetic young boy and he hasn't changed much even after all the training he must have gone through. Anyway I am planning to leave at eight sharp, so goodnight Misty and if we don't meet in the morning, see you later." Leaf said with a yawn and left to get some sleep. Misty just sat at the cafeteria and pondered over the enigma that was Ash Ketchum.


	3. Chapter 2 - A Crushing Conquest

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks(Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokedex_

' _Pokethoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokespeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – A Crushing Conquest**

Ash returned from his usual training with his Pokémon near eight and saw Leaf leaving the Pokémon Centre.

"Morning Leaf have you picked up your supplies yet? If not can I accompany you?" Leaf turned to see Ash a blue sweat shirt and black track pants. On his shoulder was Pikachu and Angel clutched in his arms. Ferrum and Midori were walking, or in Midori's case slithering beside him. Three pokéballs were floating beside him.

"I was just heading over to the Pokemart. You have fifteen minutes to shower and change before I leave." Leaf said before turning around and walking into the lounge to wait. Ash just shrugged and returned Ferrum and Midori before walking up to his room.

Exactly twelve minutes later Ash came down with Angel in his arms and Pikachu on his shoulder and saw Misty talking with Leaf. "Morning guys, so how about we head out to the Pokemart and get stocked up?"

"Morning Ash, you and Leaf can head out to the Pokemart. I want to catch some more sleep before we leave. I just came down to see Leaf off." Misty said with a yawn before getting up and leaving. Ash just nodded his head and motioned for Leaf to lead the way.

Half-an-Hour later, Ash returned carrying two large plastic bags. Upon entering the Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy called his attention towards herself.

"Oh Mr. Ketchum, a Sabrina Richards is waiting for you in the cafeteria." Ash just nodded a thanks before heading towards the cafeteria. Upon entering the cafeteria, his eyes immediately landed on the only person in it. Sabrina was sitting with her back to the door sipping a soft drink. She was wearing a red Chinese style shirt and red slacks with black trainers. Beside her was a backpack. Her green hair fell down towards her lower back.

"Hey Sab, didn't expected to see you till half past nine." Ash said with a smile. Sabrina just turned towards him and shook her head in exasperation. "The first thing that comes to your mind is my arrival time. Really Ash what will I do with you. By the way, it's nice to see you too."

"Sorry, couldn't stop myself. It's nice to see you too. So are you excited to become a Gym Leader?"

"You know that taking over for dad has been my dream for a long time. So yes, I am very excited to become a Gym Leader." Sabrina said rolling her eyes. "So, did anything interesting happen on your journey yet?"

"You could say that. Does helping out a sick Eevee, who is now part of my team, or meeting the Cerulean City Gym Leader count?" Ash said with a cheeky grin.

"What about meeting Ho-Oh or that Ho-Oh wanted you to train her daughter? I do believe that counts as an extra ordinary encounter." Misty's voice interrupted. "Morning Misty, you fully awake now?"

"Yep, so you are Sabrina? Nice to meet you. I am Misty Waterflower, Co-Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym, water type Pokémon specialist."

"Sabrina Richards, psychic type specialist. I am taking over the Saffron City Gym from dad in a month. Till then I am going to try and keep Ash here out of trouble." Sabrina said with a smile. "Nice to meet you too, Misty."

"So Ash when are you planning to head out and were to next?" Misty asked with a yawn in the end.

"Since you are already awake, let's have breakfast and then head out by nine. If that is ok with you, that is?" Misty just nodded her head and said, "Sounds good. What about you Sabrina?"

"Oh don't worry about me, I already had my breakfast."

After a quick breakfast, Ash collected his Pokémon from Nurse Joy and met Misty and Sabrina in the atrium of the Pokémon Centre. Ash just nodded his head at them and walked out of door closely followed by the girls, Ferrum walking beside him and Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. As they were walking north towards the entrance to the Viridian Forest, Misty started to freak out.

"Hey Misty you alright?" Sabrina asked feeling Misty's emotions intensify. "Oh I am fine, but do we have to go through the Viridian Forest?"

"It is the shortest route to Pewter City. Why did you have a bad experience in there?" Ash asked catching on to Misty's anxiety and fear. Misty tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but trying to lie to two Psychics, one of whom was an Aura Guardian is a lost cause. "Misty your aura is fluctuating as if you are afraid and I can sense your emotions through my Psychic powers. Sabrina can too, so you can give up trying to hide that something is bothering you."

Misty just sighed and then nodded her head. "I am afraid of bug Pokémon and the Viridian Forest is filled with them." Ash and Sabrina nodded their heads in understanding.

"Don't worry Misty, Ferrum is more than enough to take care of a few bugs. Even Midori can easily handle these weak bug Poké if we start to get overwhelmed, I can always release Blaze and Cherry. They will make short work of any bug types. You don't have to worry about anything. Me and Ferrum will keep an eye out for bug types using Aura Sight." Sabrina nodded her head and said, "I will keep an eye out with my psychic powers too, Misty. No bug type will get close enough to trouble you if we don't want it to." Misty pondered their offer for a moment before nodding her head in acceptance.

Without further fanfare the group of three humans and two Pokémon resumed their journey. After half-an-hour of walking, they finally entered the forest. Ash let out Midori and Sabrina decided to let out her Alakazam. Alakazam and Ferrum moved beside Misty while Midori decided to be the rearguard. Ash and Sabrina walking in front of Misty to form a sort of lopsided pentagon formation.

At around noon, Misty finally got over her nervousness and asked the question that was bugging her for some time.

"Sabrina if you don't mind, may I ask you a personal question?" Sabrina nodded for Misty to continue, "Well I have met some Psychic's before, but all of them were cold keeping a very strong control on their emotions. But you are so different. So lively and showing so much emotion."

"And you are curious as to why I am like this?" Misty nodded her head. "Simple really, you see Ash is also a Psychic. Four years ago when he met Mew, Mew decided to gift Ash with her knowledge of control over Psychic powers. It seems that locking away our emotions only weaken our powers, but give us better control. With me so far?"

"Yep, so let me guess, you use Mew's method of control right?"

"Ring in one. Since Ash taught me how to control my powers, I use the same method. My father had very good control, but used unorthodox methods. It seems that he used a method similar to Mew's, though not quite."

"Mew taught me that locking away one's emotions only hamper one's progress with Psychic abilities. Emotion can be used to amplify the effects of some abilities. Like using fear to power a quicker teleportation or channeling anger to strengthen offensive powers." Ash intervened. Misty nodded her head before has held up his hand, "There is a powerful Scyther close by that has the perfect Aura Signature for me. I am going to catch it. Why don't you guy head towards the clearing up ahead and set up camp? I will meet you there."

The girls nodded their heads and walked on followed by Midori and Ferrum. Ash walked towards where the Scyther was, Pikachu's cheeks sparking in anticipation.

As soon as Ash and Pikachu entered the clearing, the Scyther charged towards them, intent on chasing them away. Ash used his aura to vault over the Scyther while Pikachu just jumped to the ground and used **Agility**.

Scyther just turned to them and screeched, _"Why can't you humans just leave me alone?"_

Ash and Pikachu saw that the Scyther had a large scar running from diagonally from the top right of its face towards the bottom left.

" _Why do all of you humans want to capture me?"_ Right after that the Scyther launched a **Vaccume Wave**. Ash created a blue aura barrier to intercept the attack, surprising the Scyther.

"Have you calmed down yet?" Ash asked as Pikachu stood beside him, cheeks sparking. "Also I must say, that was a powerful **Vaccume Wave**. Either your ability must be Technician, or you must be very powerful, or both. No wonder other trainers and probably poachers were trying to capture you."

Scyther just watched dumbfounded. _'The human was able to understand me. How is that possible? How is it even possible that a human can create a protect barrier?'_

" _Who or what are you?"_ Scyther asked cautiously.

"I am Ash Ketchum, the head of the Order of Aura Guardians of Rota and a powerful psychic. I sensed that you the perfect aura signature that resonates with my aura. So I came here to see if you would like to join my team. Now since you have made it abundantly clear that you want to be left alone, we will leave." Ash said as he and Pikachu walked passed Scyther and left.

"So Ash were you able to capture Scyther?" Misty asked with a little trepidation as he walked into the camp.

"No, it seemed that the Scyther has had some bad encounters with humans and wanted to be left alone. So I left him there." Misty just nodded her head.

Ash saw Midori curled up in a patch of sunlight, while Ferrum and Alakazam were sparing. Sabrina was using her psychic powers to quickly ready the campfire and the food for lunch. Ash just decided to meditate while Pikachu quickly ran up to Midori and propped his back up against her coils.

Half-an-hour later Ash sensed an unease in his companions that broke him out of his meditation. Midori and Pikachu were already up and alert, with Alakazam and Ferrum standing stock still, their eyes glowing. Ash's eyes also started glowing as he started using his powers to learn what was happening.

It seemed that about a hundred yards away from the clearing in the north, the Scyther Ash had left behind was being attacked by a pack of Growlithe while a bald man sitting on a motorbike ordering them.

"It seems that the Scyther is being attacked by a poacher. I will go and handle the situation. Sabrina here is my pokegear, get in contact with Officer Jenny and give her our location and the situation. Midori, Ferrum, Pikachu; let's go." Ash yelled as he threw his pokegear to Sabrina and ran towards the poacher. Midori, Pikachu and Ferrum close behind.

In the silent clearing, only the sound of ringing was heard as Sabrina and Misty tried to get Officer Jenny on the line. After a couple of more rings the line was picked up.

"This is Officer Jenny; how may I help you?"

"Officer Jenny, we have a bit of a situation in the Viridian Forest. There is a poacher who is trying to catch a wild Scyther. My cousin went to stop him, but we require your assistance." Sabrina requested.

"Alright what is your location? We will be there shortly. Also does your cousin have Pokémon with him?"

"We are about ten miles North-West from the Viridian City Entrance. We are in a moderately sized clearing off to the left side of the main trail. Ash got his trainers license just a few days ago, but he has a couple of powerful Pokémon."

"Alright stay where you are; we will be there in a few minutes." Officer Jenny said sternly before hanging-up.

While the girls were making the call to Officer Jenny; Ash, Midori, Ferrum and Pikachu finally reached the clearing where the poacher and Scyther were.

"Hey leave that Scyther alone." Ash shouted out. The poacher looked over at the direction from where the sound came and saw a kid.

"You don't know who you are messing with kid. I would leave if I were you."

"Well if you leave that Scyther alone, then I will let you walk away and not hand you over to the police." Ash said with a grim smile.

"Think yourself as a hero do you kid. Why don't I show you what happens to heroes? Come on out Arcanine, Ninetales." The poacher said releasing his Pokémon. "Get that kid and his Pokémon. That Serperior and Lucario will get us a hefty price."

"As if, Midori alone can easily handle you puppies. Midori why don't you show him what happens when they mess with an Aura Guardian and his Pokémon."

'Oh shit, the kids an Aura Guardian. What do I do? Oh well I have the type advantage. There is no way he can win.' The poacher thought before giving his Pokémon their first orders. "Arcanine use **Flare Blitz** , Ninetales use **Fire Spin**." Arcanine charged forward covered in a blue blaze while Ninetales conjured up a whirling tower of fire and launched it at Midori.

" _Midori use_ _ **Protect**_ _and then take Arcanine down using_ _ **Aqua Tail**_ _. Finish Ninetales off using a_ _ **Hyper Beam**_ _."_ Ash commanded using telepathy. Midori didn't waste any time and conjured up a green shield that easily withstood the combined attack of both Arcanine and Ninetales. As soon as the attacks burned themselves out, Midori dropped her protect shield and swung her water covered tail at Arcanine and knocked him out.

"Ninetales quickly use **Fire Blast**." Ninetales complied and launched a powerful star shaped blast of flames, but sadly they were easily dispersed by Midori's almost bright white beam of pure energy. Ninetales tried to dodge but Midori swung her head in the direction Ninetales dodged. The following explosion knocked out Ninetales.

"Ready to give up yet?" Ash asked cockily. While Midori and Ash was distracting the poacher, Pikachu had already made quick work of the pack of Growlithe using a combination of **Quick Attack** , **Iron Tail** and **Thunderbolt** , along with a little help from Scyther.

"Growlithe leave the Scyther and attack the kid." The poacher commanded, but when there was no response he turned and saw that a Pikachu was sitting on one of the three unconscious Growlithe with Scyther standing beside him. "Please, let me go!" the poacher whimpered in fear.

"You already lost your chance. Now prepare to be hauled off to prison." Ash said without any emotion. "Try to run and you won't make more than five feet before you are knocked out."

'What do I do? Can I risk using Fearow to escape, or should I just surrender?'The poacher thought. 'I will just risk it and try to escape.'

"Alright I give up. Can I at least return my unconscious Pokémon?"

"Alright, but if you plan to use your Fearow to try and escape; well you will find out what happens then." Ash said surprising the poacher.

"How did you know that I had a Fearow?"

"I don't have to answer any of your questions." Ash said just as Officer Jenny and a couple of other Officers entered the clearing following Sabrina and Misty.

"Well, well, well; if it isn't Samuel Star, specialist in catching rare bug, steel and grass Pokémon. Samuel you have the right to remain silent." Jenny said to the poacher before turning to Ash. "Thank you again for your help Sir Ketchum. It is nice to have an Aura Guardian assisting the police again."

"Not at all Officer Jenny. Now if you will excuse me, I must tend to Scyther's wounds." Ash said before walking toward Scyther. Officer Jenny just nodded her head and signaled for the other Officers to take Samuel away, returning his Pokémon before they left.

"How are you Scyther?" Ash asked with concern.

" _A few burns on my exo-skeleton, nothing eating some Rawst Berries can't fix. Other than that, those mutts weren't that much trouble. How did you know that I was in trouble?"_ Scyther asked.

" _Alakazam and I sensed chaotic emotions from this direction. So I used my Aura Sight to see what was happening. Ash felt the unease in our companions during meditation and started using his Aura Sight to gather what was happening. As soon as he understood what was happening, he asked Sabrina to call the police while he ran to help you. Midori, Pikachu and I followed him."_ Lucario explained.

"This is going to sting a bit…" Ash said as he popped the seal of the burn heal potion and started spraying it over Scythers burns. Scyther winced, but didn't move or complain.

"That should do it. The burns will be completely healed by tomorrow morning, so it's best that you rest." Ash said to Scyther before turning to his Pokémon and friends, "Alright everyone Scyther likes to be left alone, so let's leave him find a place to rest and we can head back to our campsite."

" _Ash, I believe that inviting Scyther to spend some time with us till he has recovered some more is wise."_

"Your right Midori, Scyther would you like to spend some time recovering at our campsite? None of us will disturb you, you have my word." Ash said breaking Scyther out of his thoughts.

Scyther took some time to register what Ash said before nodding his head in acceptance. _"Guardian I have come to a realization that all humans are not same, so I would like to ask if you would allow me to join your swarm. So what is your decision?"_

"I would be delighted for you to join my team. In fact, when we had previously met, I actually went to see if you would consent to join my team, remember?"

" _Oh right, I must have forgotten that little fact while I was attacked. So how far is the nest?"_

"Not far, just follow us, or would you prefer to be in a pokéball?" Ash asked. _"A pokéball sounds fine. I would prefer to rest after that battle."_

"Oh before I forget, the red headed girl with us is fearful of bug Pokémon. So please try to stay as far away from her as you can, alright?" Ash said taking out a pokéball with the top blue and bottom cream like a Lucario's fur.

" _Not a problem, I don't like crowds much anyway. I will stick to the edges of the swarm away from the girl."_ Scyther said before tapping the button of the pokéball in Ash's hand with one of his scythes. In a flash of red light, Scyther vanished into the pokéball. After a couple of blinks of the button, the flashing stopped signifying a successful capture.

Returning back to their camp, Ash released Scyther. Misty quickly moved closer to Ferrum while Sabrina just shook her head in amusement. "Scyther before you take a rest I what to ask if you want a nickname?"

Scyther thought about it for some time before nodding his head in consent. "Not much for speech, are you? Any way how about Flash?" Ash asked. _"Flash is fine. Now if you will excuse me, I want some rest."_ Scyther said before walking over to a tree at the edge of the clearing and sitting down with his back for a nap.

Midori decided to coli up beside Flash with Pikachu on her back. Ash had also let out Angel who was lying beside Pikachu. Ash had already sat down to meditate again with Ferrum and Alakazam beside him. Misty decided to help Sabrina with dinner. After half-an-hour, lunch was ready and served. Blaze and Cherry were out along with Sabrina's Espeon and Slowbro. All the Pokémon were gathered around eating from their respective bowls of pokechow.

"Man Sab, this smells really good," Ash said before taking a bite of the curry, "Tastes good too. What is it?"

"It's grandma Mary's special curry. She taught it to me a few weeks ago."

"Well, be sure to thank her from me for. This the best curry I have eaten and that's saying something with mom's legendary cooking…umm" Ash said taking another bite.

"I will be sure to remember. But come on, Aunt Delia's curry is much better. You have had it so much that something new tastes better." Sabrina said.

"I will guarantee that you will miss your mothers cooking before too long Ash. I know that I do." Misty said, "But truly this is the best curry recipe I have ever eaten and curry is my favorite food. You are a great chef Sabrina and your grandmother had made the best recipe." Sabrina just blushed at the praise and smiled.

After completing lunch and packing up camp, the trio decided to continue their journey. After a couple of hours, the group finds themselves confronting a kid dressed as a Samurai complete with a katana.

"Are any of you a trainer from Pallet Town?"

"I am Ash Ketchum and I come from Pallet Town."

"I am Samurai and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle." Samurai said swinging his katana at Ash.

"I accept your challenge!" Ash exclaimed eager for his first challenge, "What are the rules?"

"Two on Two. No Substitutions. No time limit. The first to lose both Pokémon loses. Is that acceptable to you?" Samurai said cockily.

"More that acceptable, but let my cousin Sabrina or my friend Misty referee the match. Both are Gym Leaders, so there shouldn't be any problems, will it?"

"Not at all, I was about to ask one of them to referee the match any way." Samurai said before Misty came up with Ferrum and Sabrina beside her and took her position as referee.

"Are both trainers ready?" When both nodded their heads, Misty said, "Release your first Pokémon."

Samurai released a strong looking Pinsir while Ash released Flash. Pinsir and Flash faced off against each other trying to intimidate each other.

"Let the match…BEGIN…" Misty declared from the sidelines.

"Pinsir use **Agility** to get close and then use **Vice Grip**." Pinsir obeyed his trainer and rushed towards Flash with white streams of light around his body and tried to capture Flash in its horns.

"Flash use **Sword Dance** and then counter with **Wing Attack**." Flash didn't waste any time and raised his scythes and twirled around throwing off Pinsir's **Vice Grip**. As soon as Pinsir fumbled, Flash struck with a quick **Wing Attack** stunning Pinsir. "Now finish it with **Slash** back to back." Pinsir didn't have any choice but to faint from being repeatedly struck by the powerful move.

"I must say you are better than the other Pallet Town trainers I have faced off against. Now try on this Pokémon for size." Samurai said returning Pinsir and releasing a Butterfree.

"Ready…" Misty asked to which both nodded, "Then…BEGIN…"

"You can have the first move Ash," Samurai said.

"Alright Flash use **Agility** to get in close and attack with a **Night Slash** ," Ash commanded followed by, _"follow it up with a_ _ **Vaccume Wave**_ _."_ He finished telepathically.

"Butterfree dodge and use **Sleep Powder**."

" _Got it…"_ Scyther said before vanishing and appearing in front of Butterfree and lashing out with a **Night Slash** , only for Butterfree to narrowly evade and preparing to use **Sleep Powder** only to be hit by a **Vaccume Wave** in the face.

"Now **X-Scissor** and follow it up with another **Vaccume Wave**." Flash just vanished in an **Agility** and struck the stunned Butterfree with an **X-Scissor** and then **Vaccume Wave** knocking Butterfree out.

"Great job Butterfree. You did all you could." Samurai said returning his Pokémon, "Great battle, I wasn't even able to injure your Scyther. How long have you been training him?"

"Would you believe that I caught him this afternoon? He was already very strong and was my third official capture." Ash said shaking Samurai's offered hand.

"You must be a great trainer to use a new Pokémon so well. None of the newbies except the kid with a Squirtle were able to defeat Pinsir and Butterfree ended up as the victor against the Squirtle using trainer."

"Ah so Gary was able to give you some trouble. Any way nice meeting you but we must get to Pewter by nightfall so we will be leaving." Ash said returning Flash after thanking him.

"I can show you a shortcut if you would like?" Samurai offered to which the group accepted. After an hour of walking through the forest, Samurai led Ash, Sabrina, Misty and their Pokémon to the edge of the Viridian Forest and onto the path that led to Pewter City.

"Well this is where I turn back. Following the road will take you to Pewter in half-an-hour. Ash when you return home from your journey, remember to come and find me. I want a rematch and plan to train my Pokémon to become the strongest of their kind."

"Sure Samurai, just remember to not forget to have fun. I learned a long time ago that if we train non-stop, we hamper our skills from overexertion. Also take care and try to find some more good Pokémon, will you?" Ash said with a wave and turned around with Sabrina, Misty and the Pokémon. Samurai just stood watching the group walk away for a few moments before himself turning back towards the forest and entered it.

After a couple of minutes, Ash had returned Midori and Ferrum while Sabrina had returned her Alakazam. As the group were reaching the outskirts of Pewter City, Ash saw a Pidgeotto frolicking about in some tall grass growing beside the road.

"Hey Pikachu, how about we try and capture that Pidgeotto. It has a neutral aura so it will be able to bond with any Aura Guardian. What do you think?" Ash asked in a whisper.

Pikachu thought it over before replying, _"Having a smaller flying type with us will be great, especially since Blaze is slower than the Pidgey evolutionary line and Cherry can't fly. So who will battle her?"_

"Angel is still supposed to rest for a couple of more days, so it has to be you or Flash. I think that Flash will like the challenge." Ash said before releasing his Scyther, Flash. "Flash we are going to try and capture that Pidgeotto. Do you want to battle her?" Flash didn't say anything but nodded his head.

"Alright, Pidgeotto I challenge you to a battle for the right to capture you. Flash **Quick Attack** into **Slash**." Flash just vanished and reappeared beside Pidgeotto, his body covered in a white glow and his scythes glowing white. Flash didn't waste any time to slash down but Pidgeotto had different plans as it begun to whip up a powerful **Twister**. The powerful whirlwind threw Flash back with minor bruising.

"Damn the **Twister** is going to be difficult to counter. Flash combine **Agility** and **Quick Attack** , then follow up with **Night Slash**." Flash was about to do as Ash asked, but Pidgeotto didn't let him charge up his attacks. She appeared behind Flash in an **Aerial Ace** and rammed her glowing body into Flash's back. As she was about to fly away, Flash rammed his scythes, glowing with a dark aura, into her back with the full force of his weight behind it.

Pidgeotto crashed into the ground heavily bruised from the surprise attack. She tried to get up but Flash used **Agility** to appear beside her prone form and attack with a combo of **Night** **Slash** and **Slash** back to back. Pidgeotto tried to endure the harsh beating but promptly fainted from exhaustion and pain.

"Alright Flash return…" Ash said returning his heavily bruised Scyther and then threw an empty pokéball at the unconscious Pidgeotto. After a couple of blinks of the button a ding signified a successful capture. "Alright, let's get to the Pokémon Centre and get our Pokémon a checkup.

"I just want a warm bed to sleep in for tonight. We won't find another Pokémon Centre till we reach Cerulean City. I want to lie on a warm bed for as long as I can till then. So let's get a move on." Misty exclaimed and started pulling Ash and Sabrina with her, much to the amusement of her companions.

As they were entering Pewter city, they saw a man selling stones as souvenirs. Ash, as a habit, was using his Aura Sight to scan the immediate area when he felt a unique aura from three of the stones. The auras of the stones matched the auras of Cherry, Blaze and Mew, though not quite for the latter.

"Guys wait; I just want to check something out." Ash said approaching the man selling the stones. "Excuse me sir, but do you know what these three stones are?"

"They are just some crystalline stones that has some type of colored core in them, why?" The man said confused.

"Many don't know this, but these three stones are what Professor Sycamore and Professor Oak are calling Mega Stones. They had been discovered about fifty years ago in the Kalos region. And are being discovered all across the other regions with Hoenn being the second place where they were discovered a year ago. They have the ability to temporarily grant the final evolution of the Pokémon extreme power through the process of Megavolution." Ash explained.

"I see, so they are invaluable for the researchers. So how do you know about them, kid?" The man asked confused that a kid his age would know such things.

"Being the Grand Master of the order of Aura Guardians of Rota gives me the right to privileged information. I am also one of the two trainers who are helping Porfessor Oak and Professor Sycamore in their research. My friend Serena Rider, the daughter of the famous Rhyhorn Rider, Grace Rider, is helping them in Kalos. She just started her own journey a week ago."

"Wait Ash how did you know that these stones are Mega Stones?" Misty asked in confusion.

"Simple really, their aura matches the Pokémon they help Megavolve. So how much will it cost me to buy the three?"

"Tell you what kid, get me a recommendation with Professor Oak, that I will supply him with all the Mega Stones I find for a fee and you can have them for the free. By the way, the names Flint."

"Nice to meet you Flint, I am Ash and meet me tomorrow at nine in the morning at the Pokémon Centre, and I will introduce you to Professor Oak." Flint nodded his head in thanks and handed Ash the three Mega Stones. Ash took them and the left with Misty and Sabrina.

After sometime, the gang reached the Pokémon Centre. After booking rooms for himself and the girls, Ash quickly went to sleep in anticipation of challenging the Pewter City Pokémon Gym.

Next morning at nine, Ash came down after taking a shower. He and his Pokémon had gone through a light workout that morning to keep them in top condition and teaching some of his newer Pokémon new moves. Upon entering the lobby, Flint called Ash over to where he was sitting in a secluded corner.

"Hey Flint! I see that you are already here so just let me call the Professor and introduce you to him." Ash said happily. Flint just nodded his head in acceptance. Ash took out his X-transceiver and called Professor Oak. After a couple of rings, the Professor picked up his phone.

"Oh hello there Ash. How have you been doing?" Professor Oak asked.

"Well I am in Pewter City at the moment and I am sitting with a man here who may be able to supply you with Mega Stones that he finds for a fee. So what do you say Professor?"

"Have you seen any of these so called Mega Stones yet? And how did he learn about them?"

"Yea he has authentic Mega Stones, I got the three he had at the moment. The reply to your second question is that I told him about them. I also tested the Charizardite Y and Gyaradosite on Blaze and Cherry. They work like a dream." Ash explained.

"Good, have Dexter send the data to me, Dr. Kenshin and Professor Sycamore. You did have Dexter record all relevant data right?" Oak asked in an afterthought.

"Who do you take me for? A rookie?"

"Is that a rhetorical question, as technically you are a rookie trainer? Anyway give Flint my number will you." Oak said before addressing Flint, "And Flint, please contact me as soon as you get your hands on more Mega Stones. You will be handsomely rewarded for the supply."

"It will be an honor to help you in your research Professor. I am planning to search for more Mega Stones tomorrow, so I will call you the day after to let you know about my progress." Flint revealed.

"Alright, I will be waiting for your call then." Professor Oak said to Flint before addressing Ash again, "And Ash you should know that Professor Sycamore said that Mega Charizard X is a Fire/Dragon type with the ability Tough Claws, Mega Charizard Y is a Fire/Flying type with the ability Drought. I thought you would like to know."

"I already knew about that. Mew had informed me a long time ago about that. You can take a look at the footage and data when Dexter has finished transmitting it, which should be in about half-an-hour. Anyway Professor, it was nice talking to you, but I have to challenge the Pewter City Gym so I am going to hang up. Oh right, did the new data on the Fairy type came in yet. If it has, can you please send it to Dexter?"

"Not that I know off, Daisy will let me know when it has arrived. I will send a copy to you as soon as I get a hold of it and Ash good luck." Oak said before hanging up. Ash quickly wrote down Professor Oak's number on a piece of spare paper and handed it to Flint.

"Well see you later Flint. I may just end up picking up a few Mega Stones from you in the future." Ash said getting up.

"Wait Ash!" Flint called out, "If you are planning to challenge Brock, you should know that he uses Rock type Pokémon."

"Thanks for letting me know Flint. See you later." Ash said walking up the stairs with Pikachu to meditate till Misty woke up. Flint just smirked and decided to return home.

At eleven sharp, Ash and his friends were standing in front of the Pewter City Pokémon Gym. Ash raised his right hand up and sharply rapped his knuckles on the door, thrice. Three loud metallic knocks emanated from the door before they clanked open. Standing in front of them was Flint.

"What are you doing here Flint?" Misty asked, surprised to see the man.

"I was the previous Gym Leader until I handed the duty over to my eldest son Brock. Come in he is quite bored as there hasn't been any challenges today. Follow me, I will lead you to the battle field." Flint said. The group nodded their heads and followed Flint. A few moments later, they entered a cavernous room with a rocky battle field in the middle.

"So he is the one you were telling me about, right Dad?" A booming voice came from the end of the room. Suddenly a beam of light fell on a throne of rock and sitting on the rock was a young teen about Sabrina's age. He was wearing brown pants, a burnt orange shirt and a green vest. He had spiky brown hair and squinted eyes.

"That's right Brock…" Flint was about to continue when Ash walked passed him and shouted, "I challenge you for the right to earn a Boulder Badge."

"I, Brock Stone, as the Gym Leader accept your challenge. This will be a Three-on-Three battle, you may substitute while I may not. Is that acceptable?" Ash nodded his head and walked over to the challenger's box. Brock stood up and walked into the Leader's box. Flint directed Misty and Sabrina up to the spectators stand which were suddenly filled with multiple kids. Flint took on the role of referee.

"This is an official Gym Battle between the Gym Leader Brock Stone of Pewter City and Challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. This will be a Three-on-Three battle with the Gym Leader unable to substitute. Are both trainers ready?" Ash and Brock nodded their heads, "Then reveal your first Pokémon!"

Ash and Brock threw up their respective pokéballs and in identical flashes of red light a Geodude and Pidgeotto came out.

"Is the kid an idiot? Why would he use a Flying type Pokémon against a Rock type one?" The eldest kid asked to no one in particular, but Sabrina decided to answer his question, "Because my cousin likes challenges, but don't underestimate him because of that."

"You must really be a rookie to challenge a Rock type Gym with a Flying type Pokémon. Geodude use **Rock Blast**." Geodude raised one his arm up and a grain of sand started to gather in his palm before quickly growing into a small rock that he launched at Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeotto, use **Steel** **Wing** to break apart the rock and charge in with **Aerial** **Ace** …" Ash commanded before continuing with telepathy, _"Then unleash a_ _ **Twister**_ _right on top of Geodude."_

Pidgeotto obeyed her trainers command and used **Steel** **Wing** to break the rock into chunks and then vanished in a white light and appeared above Geodude. Suddenly Pidgeotto whipped up a **Twister** instead of finishing the attack. Geodude got picked up into the **Twister** and was being thrown about before the **Twister** lost power. As soon as the **Twister** vanished, Geodude crashed into the ground stunned.

"Now finish it with an **Aerial** **Ace** – **Steel** **Wing** combo." Ash called out taking advantage of the moment and waited for the result. Pidgeotto did as commanded and rammed her slivery wings into Geodude with all the momentum created from **Aerial** **Ace** which led to an instant knock out.

"Geodude is unable to battle, the winner is Ash's Pidgeotto. Gym Leader bring out your second Pokémon." Flint declared in the silent room. All of Brock's siblings were stunned at Ash's quick victory.

"I must commend you on your brilliant strategy and powerful combination attacks. How long have you been training her?" Brock said as he and Ash returned their respective Pokémon, even though Ash didn't need to return Pidgeotto.

"I caught her yesterday and I must confess, she was quite powerful when I caught her. I just polished her techniques in my daily morning training while also teaching her **Steel** **Wing** and **Heat Wave**. She is quite the hard worker." Ash said as he and Brock revealed their second Pokémon. Ash sent out Flash while Brock sent out a Rhyhorn.

"A Scyther Ash, it seems that you specialize in type disadvantage or something? You can have the first move this time." Brock said.

"Oh I only have three Pokémon ready to battle you at the moment. Your gym is for beginners and using my other older Pokémon is wrong as they are Elite Level. Flash, **Agility** into **Metal** **Claw**."

"Rhyhorn use **Protect** then use **Sand** **Attack**. So how long have you had your older Pokémon?" Brock asked as the bluish-green shield repelled Flash's attack.

"Flash use **Blade** **Dance** and then **Vacuume** **Wave**. I had Cherry since I was six. Midori, Ferrum and Blaze are with me since I was eight." Ash said as Flash used **Blade** **Dance** to redirect the sand and then launched a quick **Vacuume** **Wave** at Rhyhorn. The blade of vacuume struck home and dazed Rhyhorn.

"Rhyhorn snap out of it and use **Double Edge**." Brock said surprised by the quick counter. Rhyhorn charged at Flash with surprising speed, his body covered in white energy.

"Flash, use **Quick** **Attack** to dodge and repeatedly then strike Rhyhorn with **Metal** **Claw**." Flash vanished in a flash of white light and then started striking Rhyhorn with is scythes glowing with silvery energy and vanishing before Rhyhorn could counter. Brock saw that Rhyhorn was quickly losing and so he called out a counter, "Rhyhorn use **Sandstorm**."

Rhyhorn tried to whip up a sandstorm, but every time he tried, he was attacked by Flash. Seeing that Rhyhorn was getting tired, Ash decided to finish it. "Flash charge in with **Quick** **Attack** and finish it with a **Steel** **Wing**." Flash didn't even give any indication that he heard Ash's command, but he vanished in another white flash and rammed his slivery wings into Rhyhorn's face knocking him out.

"Rhyhorn is unable to battle, the winner is Ash's Scyther. Gym Leader bring out your final Pokémon."

"That was a difficult battle. If Rhyhorn had been able to create the sandstorm, Flash wouldn't have been able to land so many hits like he did." Ash said cheerily as he returned Flash, Brock doing the same with Rhyhorn.

"Flash's speed took me by surprise. He has been aptly named. Now as I am in between a Rock and a hard place, it's time that I rock this joint, and I like to rock with my Onix." Brock said releasing his Onix. Ash just laughed at the joke and asked Pikachu to take the field.

"A Pikachu!" one of the kids in the spectators stand exclaimed out in surprise.

"Why don't you start this time Brock?" Ash said while directing Pikachu to dodge with **Quick** **Attack** using telepathy.

"Onix, **Rock** **Slide**. I hope that you are doing the right thing using Pikachu, Ash." Brock said. The giant rock snake conjured up a mass of rocks above Pikachu who just vanished in a flash of white to dodge the attack.

"Pikachu use another **Quick** **Attack** and then hit Onix with an **Iron** **Tail**." Pikachu nodded his head and then a line of white light leading up Onix's body from Pikachu's last location, appeared before Piakchu materialized above Onix's head with his tail glowing with silver energy. After flipping twice, Pikachu reamed his tail onto Onix's forehead knocking him out.

"Onix is unable to battle, the winner is Ash's Pikachu. As the Gym Leader doesn't have any Pokémon left, the winner of the challenge is Ash Ketchum." A Stunned silence followed the declaration.

Brock, Misty and Brock's siblings were shocked at the quick victory while Sabrina was grinning with pride at her cousin before shouting, "Great job Ash, I hope to get a better challenge when you challenge the Saffron City Gym."

"Oh as long as you use your strongest, I will also use my strongest." Ash shouted out in reply. Their small exchange broke everyone out of their stupor.

"Great battle Ash. To think that your new Pokémon are so strong. I don't even want to face you strongest. Here is the Boulder Badge as promised." Brock said handing over a Boulder Badge to Ash and then returning Onix.

"Thanks Brock, but I must say that if you hadn't underestimated my Pokémon, you could probably have at least taken down Pidgeotto without much trouble." Ash said shaking hands with Brock.

"You are of course right in that assessment, but can I ask how you were able to command your Pokémon without words. Are you a telepath or something?" Brock asked confused at remembering that Pidgeotto had unleashed a **Twister** without command and Pikachu dodging using **Quick** **Attack**.

"Come closer…" Ash gestured to Brock, who diligently came closer and directed his ear to Ash's mouth. Ash just smirked and said, "It's… A SECRET!" Brock just face faulted before rising up with a glowering expression on his face.

"What? Did you really think that I would reveal all of my secrets to anyone who asks?"

" _THAT'S BECAUSE MY COUSIN IS A POWERFUL PSYCHIC LIKE ME!"_ Sabrina shouted out to everyone using telepathy.

" _Way to go and ruin my fun Sab. I would have told him after a few moments anyway."_ Ash replied using his own telepathy, broadcasting his thoughts to everyone present. Everyone except Misty was staring at Ash and Sabrina who had decided to teleport to Ash and slap him in the back of his head. Brock and Flint were the first to break out of their shocked state.

"So you are a psychic?" Brock asked. Ash just nodded his head. "Then I must thank you for mostly sticking to verbal commands.

Ash just shook his head and said, "I prefer a challenge, so sticking to telepathic commands would take the fun out of a challenge as my opponent would not have been able to counter me at all."

Brock nodded his head, "Anyway Ash it was fun battling you but I must get my Pokémon to Nurse Joy and heal them up for any future challenges." Brock said with a sigh. Ash just nodded his head and teleported himself and Pikachu to Misty before vanishing back to the Pokémon Center. Sabrina following her cousin's lead, also teleported to the Pokémon Center.

"You know something son?" Flint asked his eldest son, to which Brock just shook his head. "Since I am now back, why don't you follow your dream to become a Pokémon Breeder?"

"You know that until Forrest can become an official trainer, I have to keep leading the Gym. After that he can take over and I can leave to follow my dream." Brock said with sorrow.

"Well young Ash has introduced me to Professor Oak, so I won't be leaving on any more journeys. Only time I will leave the Gym alone is when I am out near Mt. Moon searching for Mega Stones and Key Stones to supply Professor Oak and his colleagues with. So I can take over for about a year. Also your mother will be back from her own journey in a week. We can take over the duties of the Gym Leader till Forrest gets his license."

"Really dad?" Brock asked with hope. Flint just nodded his head, a smile adorning his face. A bright smile formed on Brocks face before he quickly hugged Flint and then raced towards his siblings and hugged each of them. After bidding a farewell to his family, he ran towards his room and quickly packed everything he needed into a large hiking backpack."

Ash, Misty and Pikachu teleported into the lobby of the Pokémon Center followed by Sabrina. "Alright girls, I plan to leave after lunch. I will leave Pikachu, Flash and Pidgeotto with Nurse Joy, while I get some more medicines and Pokéchow. If you need anything let me know. I will be leaving in five minutes."

As Ash was went over to Nurse Joy, Misty and Sabrina had a quick discussion before quickly preparing a list for Ash. They finished making the list just as Ash approached them. "Here Ash, let us know how much they cost you and we will reimburse you." Misty said handing the list over. Ash just took the list and walked off towards the Pokémart.

Just as Ash, Misty and Sabrina was about to continue their journey towards Mt. moon on their way to Cerulean City, they heard a shout from behind them. Turning towards the source of the shout, they saw Brock running towards them. After reaching them, Brock panted for a few moments before straightening up.

"Will you guys mind if I join you on your journey?" Brock asked with some apprehension. Ash and Misty shook their heads no, while Sabrina said that she would leave in a months' time any way so she had no problems with him joining. Brock smiled and gestured for them to continue.

As evening was approaching, the group was nearing the foothills of Mt. Moon. After continuing for half-an-hour more, Brock said that it was best if they setup camp now, while there was still some daylight. After camp was setup, Brock decided to start cooking dinner while refusing the help from Sabrina.

"Guys, I am going out exploring the immediate neighborhood of the cap to make sure that no hostile Pokémon are close by. I will teleport back in an hour, so don't worry about me." Ash said to which his friends nodded their heads before going back to what they were doing, Brock to his cooking while Misty and Sabrina back to their board game.

After walking for about a quarter-of-an-hour, Ash felt the Aura Signature he was searching for. Walking towards the source of the Aura Signature, Ash saw Ho-oh and her daughter roosting on one of the secluded cliffs.

"Hello Lady Ho-oh, this must be your daughter." Ash said turning to the smaller Ho-oh. "Hello young one, I hope that you we will be able to get along well while you travel with us."

" _Hello to you too Ash, but you don't have to have to keep calling me or any of the other legendries Ladies or Lords. We prefer to be treated as just other Pokémon as well. Some of us do choose to travel with other trainers with noble heart's as well you know."_ Ho-oh said with telepathy.

"I will keep that in mind, now young one before I capture you I must ask you a serious question…" Ash said pausing for dramatic effect. The young Ho-oh bobbed her head wondering what serious question her future trainer was about to ask her.

"Do you want a nickname or not?" Ash asked with a smile breaking the tension between him and his future Pokémon. The young Ho-oh shook her head no.

" _Oh I must let you know that my daughter hasn't learned how to use telepathy yet, so may I request that you prioritize teaching her telepathy first."_

"I will do my best to teach her telepathy by the time we reach Vermillion City." Ash said revealing a pure red colored pokéball. "This is a cherish ball, a special pokéball used by Aura Guardians to catch special Pokémon. I hope that this will do for you Ho-oh." Ash said raising the cherish ball. The young Ho-oh tapped her beak on the button of the pokéball and vanished into it in the standard red light followed by a light ding signifying a perfect capture.

" _I have already said my goodbyes to by daughter, so there is no need to release her from her pokéball. Please take good care of her and when you reach Ecruteak City, head over to the bell tower. I will meet you there."_ Ho-oh said before taking off. Ash just nodded his head and teleported back to camp.


	4. Chapter 3 - Thorns of a Waterflower

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks(Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Thorns of a Water Flower**

Ash and Sabrina woke up at the crack of dawn and decided to spar with each other. Walking off a few yards away from the camp, they started to first meditate for half-an-hour before facing off against each other. Teleporting to get away from psychic energy blast, Ash countered with a powerful **Aura** **Sphere**. Sabrina deflected the blue orb of aura with quick burst of psychic energy before firing a **Psybeam** at Ash. Ash teleported away and tried to strike Sabrina with a **Force** **Palm**. Sabrina, already knowing Ash's plan, had thrown up powerful psychic barrier. Ash's **Force Palm** struck the barrier before being repelled. They continued to spar for a couple of hours before they nodded to each other and teleported back to camp to change their clothes. After Ash and Sabrina had changed their clothes in their respective tents, they were greeted by Misty, Brock, Ferrum and Pikachu.

"Wow, I didn't know that humans can use Pokémon attacks?" Brock asked with excitement, Misty nodded her head to signal that she was also in the same boat as Brock.

"Don't get your hopes up you two…" Sabrina started but Ash interrupted her, "If you are a powerful Psychic or an Aura Adept, you can train yourself to use your Psychic or Aura Powers to manifest Pokémon attacks. If not, you can spend years strengthening your weaker Aura before learning to use it. If you want, I can start teaching you how to strengthen your aura, but from what I sense you will need most of a decade before you can start training in using your Aura. So what do you say?"

"I think that I will pass. The time would be better spent by me in learning more breeding techniques." Brock said with a sigh. "I am with Brock; I can't waste a decade trying to strengthen my Aura if I want to become a Water Pokémon Master." Ash just nodded his head before sitting releasing Blaze, Midori, Angel, Flash and Pidgeotto.

"Alright guys, let's get all of your morning physical workout over with before having breakfast." Ash said before outlining the workout plans for Pidgeotto. As soon as he was done, all of his Pokémon started their morning workout as Ash meditated.

* * *

Near noon, Ash and his group was nearing the mouth of the cave that lead to the other side of Mt. Moon.

"AAHHHHH…HELP ME…" A loud scream sounded out. After hearing the shout, the group started to run towards the area the shout came from. Arriving, they saw a young man being attacked by colony of Zubat.

"Pikachu use **Thunderbolt**." Pikachu obliged by jumping down from Ash's shoulder and launching a devastating bolt of lightning at the Zubat, knocking out a couple. The rest fled back into the cave.

"You alright?" Misty asked the cowering man.

"Yea, thanks to you driving away those Zubat. By the way, my names Seymour."

"Nice to meet you Seymour. My names Misty, this is Sabrina, Brock and Ash." Misty said pointing at Sabrina, Brock and Ash in turn. They all waved in hello.

"May I ask what are you doing here alone Seymour?" Ash asked curiosity coloring his voice.

"Oh I was trying to study Clefairy and the Moonstone." Seymour said with excitement.

"So you are trying to see if the legend of Clefairy and the Moon Stone is true or not." Ash said in a matter of fact tone to everyone's surprise.

"Ye…Yea, how did you know?" Seymour asked in shock.

"I am a Grandmaster of the Aura Guardians of Cameran. I know more legends than most people do. Also, I will advise you to not continue with this venture. The Moon Stone is a sacred item for the Clefairy and its evolutionary line. They won't take kindly to a stranger intruding without proper invitation. Anyway nice meeting you Seymour, but we must get going." Ash said, before entering the cave with his companions.

Upon entering the cave, Ash and his gang was surprised at what they saw. Powerful wide area strobe lights were illuminating most of the cavern. The Paras were planting their mushrooms everywhere out of confusion, while colonies of Zubat were flying about in confused patterns.

"WHAT THE HELL? WHO PUT UP THE LIGHTS?" Brock shouted out in surprise, Misty and Sabrina nodding in agreement.

"That is why the Zubat attacked me." Everyone turned to see Seymour behind them with a serious and pained face. "I don't know who, but someone has put up those lights which are confusing the Pokémon."

" _Wa…ter… I need to… find some…water."_ Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum turned to see a Sandshrew crawling on the floor of the cavern, and completely dehydrated. Not wasting any time, Ash and his Pokémon quickly approached the Sandshrew. Opening his canteen of water and pouring some into a water bowl from his backpack, Ash offered it to the Sandshrew.

"Here you go little guy." Sandshrew looked up at Ash before turning back to the water bowl and inspecting it. With a happy growl, the Sandshrew greedily gulped down all of the water. _"Thank you human. My kind require very little water to survive, but these hot lights quickly dehydrated me to the extreme."_

"You are welcome Sandsherw and don't worry about the lights. I will find the ones who put them up and force them to take them down." Ash said happily missing the stunned looks from Seymour and Sandshrew.

" _You can understand me?"_

"Did you just understand Sandshrew?"

"Well, any competent Aura Adept has the potential to be able to understand Pokémon they are close to. In the case of Aura Masters, they have the ability to understand any Pokémon because of their mastery over their aura. Does that answer both of your questions?" Ash explained as if he was giving a lecture. Seymour just nodded his head in understanding.

" _Can I come with you?"_ Sandshrew asked with not a little trepidation.

"If you want to, then who am I to refuse?" Ash said pulling out one of his blue and cream colored pokéballs and held it up to Sandshrew. "Just tap the button on the center of the Guardian Ball. It will do the rest."

" _Oh… a pokéball can be a bit uncomfortable the first time."_ Pikachu warned from his perch on Ash's shoulder. Sandshrew nodded I acknowledgement before tapping the button on the pokéball with his claw and disappearing in a red light. After a couple of flashes of the button, there was a ping sound signifying the capture.

"Come on out Sandshrew." Ash said releasing the sand-mouse Pokémon. "So would you like a nickname or be called Sandshrew?"

" _I will like to be called just Sandshrew thank you."_ Sandshrew replied after careful consideration. "Alright, now why don't you tag along with us outside your Guardian Ball?" Sandshrew nodded his head in mirth before following Ash towards his group.

"Guys, it seems that I have to first investigate the situation here before continuing. If any of you want to, you can head on to Cerulean. I will meet you at the Pokémon center."

"I am not letting my baby cousin handle the situation himself. Count my help in your investigation, Ash." Sabrina said while Brock and Misty nodded in agreement.

"I would like to see how Aura Guardians handle such situations." Brock said with excitement. Ash just nodded his head before turning to Seymour.

"What about you Seymour? Do you want to join us or stay outside the cave till the situation is taken care of?" Ash asked. "I will join you Ash. I was already trying to take the lights when the Zubat colony attacked me."

"Then stay close to Ferrum. He will protect you." Ash said directing Seymour's attention to Ferrum with a nod in Ferrum's direction. Seymour nodded his head. "Now to scan Sandshrew with Dexter." Ash took out Dexter's pad and asked for a complete scan of Sandshrew.

After supplying the standard information on the Sandshrew species, Dexter started sprouting more detailed information.

 _Gender: Male Pokémon_

 _Type: Ground_

 _Ability: Sand Rush – This Pokémon's Speed doubles during Sandstorm. This Pokémon is also immune to the residual damage of Sandstorm._

 _Attack:_ _ **Poison**_ _ **Sting**_ _,_ _ **Defense**_ _ **Curl**_ _,_ _ **Sandstorm**_ _,_ _ **Dig**_

"Well it seems that you have quite the rare ability. Also your attacks are quite nice as well. Did you learn **Sandstorm** yourself?" Sandshrew nodded his head anxiously. "Then I must say that was a very good decision. With your ability, you can become a force to be reckoned with, with the right training of course." Ash said with an encouraging smile.

"Alright everyone, stay close and keep an eye out for the culprits. Please lead the way Sandshrew." Everyone nodded as they followed Ash, Pikachu and Sandshrew. As the group ventured deeper into the cave, they started hearing voices further in.

"Hey James, have you see any Clefairy yet?" An obnoxious female voice was heard.

"No Jessie. If I did, I would have already notified you." A man replied, his voice carrying an undertone of irritation.

"Will you two lugs keep quiet? Them Clefairy will never show up if yous two keep quarreling." A funny male voice was heard.

"You keep quiet Meowth. What kind of Pokémon are you if you can't even use your nose to sniff out some Clefairy." The woman named Jessie shouted out in irritation.

Ash and his group entered a large cavern and witnessed the three Team Rocket members, whom he had defeated in Viridian Pokémon Center, quarreling like a bunch of spoiled kids.

"Not you three again!" Ash exclaimed surprising the three quarreling crooks. They turned before starting their lame motto.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started.

"Make it double!" James continued.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the starts above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth finished.

"The second time I see you three; you three are still causing trouble. You are the ones who put up the lights, didn't you?" Ash asked in anger.

"So what if we did? Come on out Ekans…" Jessie said releasing her Pokémon. James followed releasing his Koffing. Meowth extended his claws and got ready for a battle.

"Ferrum take care of the losers." Ash said with apathy coloring his voice. Ferrum just nodded his head and used **Extremespeed** to appear in front of the Ekans and struck the poor snake with is paw covered in aura releasing a shockwave that threw Ekans towards Jessie, already knocked out.

Before James could even give out an order, Ferrum struck out with a glowing blue staff. The **Bone Rush** quickly made short work of the floating gas ball. With a final swing of his staff, Ferrum launched Koffing into Meowth who didn't even have any time to react, knocking him back towards James, Jessie and the knocked out Ekans.

"Ferrum finish it off with an aura infused **Hyper Beam**." Ferrum just nodded his head and charged up a blue-white colored ball of energy with streaks of orange between his paws before launching a massive beam of the same color at the pile of Team Rocket members and their Pokémon. The resultant explosion launched Team Rocket down one of the side tunnels all the while screaming, "TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN…"

"Wow! In under half a minute, your Lucario not only defeated them put also sent them packing." Seymour exclaimed in awe.

"Oh Cherry, my Gyarados could have done it in under five. Mind she is my oldest and strongest Pokémon." Ash replied with nonchalance before telepathically telling Pikachu to destroy the generator humming away near the back wall of the cavern. Pikachu obliged, launching a **Thunderbolt** at the generator and in the process frying its coils.

As that was happening, a Clefairy revealed itself and beckoned for them to follow. Not having any reason to suspect the innocent looking Clefairy, they followed it down another side tunnel. After traveling down the dark tunnel for some time, they came upon a large cavern. In the middle of the cavern, a giant stone stood on a raised platform made of stone. The ceiling above the stone was missing, letting the dimming rays of the sun fall on the stone.

"By Arceus, that is the Moon Stone." Seymour said in awe. Before noticing the group of Clefairy watching them warily. An older Clefairy approached the Clefairy leading Ash and his friends.

" _Why have you lead these humans and their Pokémon here?"_ The older Clefairy asked, keeping an untrusting eye on them.

" _I have been keeping an eye on them since before they entered the caves. That young human with the Pikachu on his shoulder is an Aura Guardian. The Guardian also took out the humans who put up the lights and the lights themselves. I thought that it is only fair that they witness our sacred ritual."_

" _I see."_ Was all the older Clefairy said before turning to Ash, _"So you are an Aura Guardian?"_

"Yes I am. Don't worry, me and my companions won't reveal the location of your ritual! Seymour there," Ash said pointing to Seymour, "Wished to study your kind and your relation to The Moon Stone."

" _I will accept your words Guardian. You and your companions may witness our ritual."_ The older Clefairy said before returning back to the gathered Clefairy.

"Alright everyone let's rest here for the night. We can head out in the morning." Ash said to which everyone nodded their heads. "Come on out Angel, Midori, Blaze, Flash, Pidgeotto and Rainbow."

In flashes of light Ash's Eevee, Serperior, Charizard, Scyther, Pidgeotto and Ho-oh appeared. Pointing Dexter at Rainbow, he waited for the Porygon to complete its scan. After sprouting some generic information, Dexter started to sprout more detailed information.

 _Gender: Female Pokémon_

 _Ability: Regenerator – When this Pokémon switches out, it recovers 1/3 of its energy._

 _Attack:_ _ **Aerial Ace**_ _,_ _ **Wing Attack**_ _,_ _ **Sacred Fire**_ _,_ _ **Recover**_ _,_ _ **Flamethrower**_ _,_ _ **Protect**_ _,_ _ **Sunny Day**_ _,_ _ **Solarbeam**_ _,_ _ **Substitute**_

"So Rainbow, how are you feeling? Not missing your mother too much, are you?" Ash asked the young Ho-oh.

" _I am missing her a bit, but it is more exciting to travel around seeing the world. Mew has always said good things about you and from what little I have seen, she was right."_ Rainbow replied telepathically.

"I am not really that special, but thanks for the compliment." Ash said before turning to see Seymour and Brock looking at Rainbow in awe and surprise. "What?"

"How in Arceus's name did you get a Ho-oh?" Brock and Seymour exclaimed.

"Her mother wanted me to train her for some time so that she would be able to protect herself from poachers later." Ash said with nonchalance, shocking the two males.

"Ummm… Is that normal…" Brock started when Sabrina interrupted, "Yes it is very common around Ash. As you travel around with him, you will definitely meet legendries and you won't even have search them out." Brock nodded his head before he started to unpack his cooking utensils to prepare supper ignoring the beautiful red and gold plumage legendary. Seymour, on the other hand, took out a notepad and started to take notes on the meteorite called the moon stone and the behavior of the Clefairy around it.

As the moon rose high into the sky, the gathered Clefairy started to do an intricate dance around the Moon Stone. Just as the Moon Stone started to give off a faint blue glow, a rumbling was heard before a giant Mecha-Diglett popped out from the ground. From the robot, the voice of Meowth was heard.

"The Moon Stone is now the property of Team Rocket. With this we can create an army of Pokémon that evolve using a moon stone."

"Stop! You don't know how important that meteorite is to the Clefairy." Seymour called out in anger as two arms appeared and started to pick up the Moon Stone. Before the Mecha-Diglett could even lift the meteorite up, its arms started glowing with a yellowish aura.

"Meowth? What's happening out there?" Jessie asked when she saw the arms stop.

"Why are the arms giving off a yellow aura?" James asked noticing the faint yellow light.

"Dat looks like a **Psychic** attack?" Meouth questioned just before the arms imploded upon itself.

"You know? It is wrong to steal others belongings. You are lucky that I won't crush you along with your robot." Sabrina said in a cold tone of voice sending shivers down the backs of every human except Ash. Her eyes glowing a faint bluish-white. A faint yellow aura around her.

"She is a Psychic. Meowth! Get us out of here." Jessie shouted out in fear but before they could even reverse the robot, the whole body of gave off a powerful yellow aura as Sabrina, her Alakazam and Ferrum used **Psychic** to hold the machine in place.

"Hey Sab, hold them still for a moment so that I can collect up enough aura to blast them off again." Ash said as he cupped his palms above his hand and started gathering a massive amount of aura in between his palms. A basketball size orb of aura formed, glowing a menacing blue. Ash directed the orb at the robot before destabilizing the orb, creating a powerful beam of aura. As soon as the beam faded away, the Mecha-Diglett exploded sending Jessie, James and Meowth blasting off into the sky.

"Wow! What the hell was that?" Seymour asked in awe.

"An aura technique I named **Destruction Aura Wave**. It's one of my most powerful aura based attacks. Ferrum is still trying to learn it, with little success I must add." Ash said with nonchalance. Everyone including Sabrina just sweat dropped at his declaration.

"Well there is no need to keep stalling the Clefairy and their ritual." Ash said as he motioned for his companions to let the Clefairy continue. As the Clefairy kept dancing and chanting, The Moon Stone glowed with a bluish-white aura before a few Clefairy started glowing with the light of evolution. The glowing Clefairy grew in size and grew larger wings before the light faded revealing the newly evolved Clefable.

After that everyone went to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, as Ash and his friends were preparing to leave, Seymour said that he would stay with the Clefairy and study the Moon Stone more. Ash and company nodded their heads before bidding goodbye and walked towards the Cerulean exit.

" _Wait! Before you go, we wish to give you these two Moon Stones as a thank you for protecting The Moon Stone."_ The Elder Clefairy said approaching the group with said stones in its arms.

"There is no need to thank us Elder, but I humbly accept your gift." Ash said accepting the Moon Stones. After that, the Elder Clefairy returned to its group, while Ash and his friends continued their journey.

After walking for a couple of hours, they finally made it out of the cave system and ended up on the Cerulean side of Mt. Moon. Walking towards the edge of the cliff, they looked out towards Cerulean City lying beneath them in all of its glory. The river passing by the city sparkling in the afternoon sun.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Misty asked with pride.

"Yeah! It's is quite beautiful." Sabrina said as Ash and Brock nodded their heads in agreement.

"Ash?"

"Yeah Misty?"

"You will have to go to the Gym without me. I and my sisters aren't getting along at the moment. It would be better if I wasn't there to cause trouble." Misty explained with apprehension.

"If that is what you want. How about we meet up at the Pokémon Center at about six?" Brock and Sabrina smiled at Ash's plan.

"That would be fine, Ash. So are you going to challenge the Gym as soon as you get to City or are you going to the Pokémon Center first?"

"Let's head to the Pokémon Center first. I need to have my Pokémon checked up before the battle." Ash said before jumping down from the Cliff along with Ferrum beside him and Pikachu on his shoulder.

"ASH!" Misty and Brock yelled out in surprise before Sabrina started to giggle. Misty and Brock stared at her with a look that gave way to their thoughts.

'Has she gone mad? Ash just jumped down a Cliff and she is giggling!' was the thoughts of the two.

"I can hear your thoughts, you know?" Sabrina said with mirth, "I better explain then. Ash has a habit of doing crazy things because he can survive doing them by manipulating his Aura and Psychic powers. He actually landed in a crouch after reinforcing his body with his Aura. Ferrum has picked up his crazy tendencies as well, at least it seems that way."

"So he is alright?"

"Yep Misty, but why don't I lower us down using telekinesis or Ash will leave us far behind." Sabrina said before she started to glow with a yellow aura and her eyes were glowing that ominous blue color. A similar bluish aura formed around Brock and Misty before the started floating along sided Sabrina.

"Don't worry! If I lose control, we will only end up with a couple of broken bones. At least I hope so." Sabrina said before all three floated over the edge of the cliff and started to float down. Brock and Misty were frozen in shock and fear, praying to Arceus that Sabrina doesn't lose control.

"What took you so long?" Ash screamed up to the three floating humans.

"Oh! I just explained why you jumped down a cliff. An action that will normally get people killed."

"Alright but why are they so scared?"

"I may have joked about losing control of my powers and dropping us…" Sabrina said sheepishly.

"Really Sab. It's these kinds of jokes that prevent you from making friends. Guys Sabrina was just joking. She can easily hold up three Steelix for eight hours without any sign of fatigue, so dropping you two is out of the question." Ash said irritably. Hearing that Sabrina was joking about dropping them. And now that they were on solid ground, Misty and Brock finally relaxed.

"That was not funny you know?" Misty shouted out while Brock shook his head.

"Sorry about that, but Ash has been my only friend for so long, that I have forgotten what normal people are like. Being such a powerful psychic also doesn't help."

"That's alright, just don't do it again. Now how about we head out one?" Brock said apprehensively.

After walking for about an hour, the group made it into Cerulean City. The group headed to the Pokémon Center and placed their Pokémon into Nurse Joy's care and rented two rooms of themselves. After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, they headed down to the Lobby.

"Well I plan to roam around Cerulean and get in touch with a couple of my friends here before returning back here. So see you later!" Misty said before she took her Pokémon from Nurse Joy and left.

"I will head to the Pokémart and resupply. See you later…" Brock said walking out with his own pokéballs.

"Well why don't we get going Ash?" Sabrina asked taking her own pokéballs from Nurse Joy. Ash just nodded his head after taking his Guardian Balls and Pikachu back.

* * *

At the Cerulean City Gym, Ash and Sabrina saw a large group of people standing in line. Approaching the Gym Official sitting at a table near the door, Ash and Sabrina asked what was going on.

"Oh you must be new here and didn't keep an eye on news. The Sensational Sisters are putting on one of their water shows. If you want a ticket to the show, you will have to wait in line like the rest."

"Oh that's not why I came here. I would like to challenge the Sensational Sisters to a Gym Battle. They are still the Gym Leaders right?"

"Oh! So you are a challenger. Please follow me. I will take you to the Challengers Reserved Seats. You and your friend can wait there and watch the show for free. After the show is over, the Gym Leaders will accept your challenge." Ash just nodded his head and followed behind the official along with Sabrina. After being seated, they didn't have to wait long before the three elder Waterflower sisters began their show, which lasted for an hour. After the show was over, the official announced the Gym Challenge and invited anyone who wished to see the ensuing battle to follow him to the battle field.

Most didn't wish to see the battle and left, leaving behind the battle enthusiast people. After the spectators were seated, Brock walked in along with Misty.

"So you three aren't trying to give away the badges again. That good to see…" Misty said sarcastically.

"Well if it isn't the runt. I thought you wouldn't return here before you became a Water Pokémon master?" a blue haired girl asked with a sneer.

"I am here to support my friend Violet. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Ash is like your friend Misty?" The blond haired girl asked with surprise.

"Yep Daisy and what is this I hearing that you three were giving away Gym Badges for free?" Misty asked with vehemence.

"That would be, like, Lily and Violets doing. I was hospitalized due to an appendicitis operation and they lost a couple of times. We even got like a warning from the League for that. Lily and Violet also got their license revoked." Daisy explained with a sigh.

"Daisy was furious with us for that." The pinked haired girl, who could only be Lily said, "Anyway, if you are not here in your capacity as a Gym Leader of Cerulean City Pokémon Gym, you will have to join the other spectators."

Misty nodded her head and dragged Brock with her towards the stands where Sabrina was sitting with Ferrum by her side. "Good luck Ash and don't use any of your Elite level Pokémon!" Misty screamed out.

'Elite level Pokémon?' was the thoughts on everyone's mind. 'How the hell did a kid no older that ten get Elite level Pokémon?'

"I wasn't planning to use any of them. I will be using my newer Pokémon." Ash said before turning to Daisy. "So shall we get on with the battle?"

Daisy just nodded her head and headed to the Leaders Box while Ash walked to the Challengers Box. After both were ready, the referee took his position at the side if the battle field and pressed a button. The field slid into an opening in the wall revealing a large pool of water beneath it with multiple islands floating on the water.

"This will be an Official Gym Battle between the Challenger, Sir Ash Ketchum of Rota coming from Pallet Town and the Gym Leader, Daisy Waterflower. This will be a three one-on-one match with first side to lose two Pokémon loses. There will be no substitutions. Trainers release your first Pokémon…"

As the referee finished, Ash and Daisy released their Pokémon simultaneously. Ash released Flash while Daisy released Slowbro. "Begin…"

"Slowbro use **Psybeam** and follow it up with **Ice Beam**." Daisy said hoping to not let Ash get a chance to counter.

"Dodge with **Agility** and then strike with **X-Scissor**." Ash said calmly. Flash nodded his head before he dodged the **Psybeam** and was then hit by the **Ice** **Beam**. Daisy became smug at the thought of the super effective attack hitting the dual Bug/Flying Pokémon, but to her surprise, Flash faded as the beam of icy energy passed through him.

"What the hell happened?" Daisy cried out in surprise right before Flash struck Slowbro with his scythes glowing with a reddish green aura. Slowbro cried out in pain before it tried to swat away Flash with a **Mega** **Punch**.

"Slowbro use **Surf**. That Scyther is too fast to hit it with precision attacks." Slowbro nodded its head before using surf.

" _Fly up and after the water recedes, come down with a_ _ **Night**_ _ **Slash**_ _."_ Ash commanded using telepathy. Flash didn't give any indication that it was given any orders, but just used Agility to fly above the water and then quickly came down on Slowbro's back with his scythes glowing with black energy.

"Slowbro use **Protect** …" Daisy ordered fearing that Slowbro would be taken out by the attack. Slowbro complied and created a greenish barrier. Flash rammed his scythes into the barrier before flying back.

"Slowbro now use **Blizzard**!" Daisy screamed out in frustration. A newbie trainer was easily showing up one of her prized Pokémon without any trouble. She would not let Ash get away with humiliating her like this. Slowbro opened his mouth and launched a powerful freezing wave of wind at Flash.

"Flash brace yourself and use **Swords** **Dance** …" Ash said with worry hoping that Flash won't end up being frozen. Unluckily Ash's fear came true as after the winds and snow faded, all that was left was Flash frozen in an elaborate spiral of ice. Ash just sighed in disappointment in himself.

"Scyther is unable to battle, victory goes to Slowbro. Trainers release your second Pokémon…" Ash returned Flash murmuring a good job before he sent Angel out. Daisy sent out a Kingdra.

"This is your first battle with me Angel, let's show what you are made off." Ash encouraged while Angel yipped in excitement.

"Eevee vs Kingdra… Begin…"

"Angel wait for Kingdra to make the first move…" Ash said before using telepathy to complete his orders, _"When he is close, launch a Dazzling Gleam at him."_

"Kingdra use **Tackle** and follow it up with **Dragon** **Pulse** …" Kingdra tried to ram his body into Angel, but she jumped back before launching a powerful beam of pinkish light at Kingdra. Kingdra launched the shockwave of draconic energy at the beam of pinkish light, but the light easily overcame the shockwave before striking Kingdra. Kingdra was launched away from Eevee with a large number of bruises on his body.

"You alright Kingdra?" Daisy asked with concern.

" _I will live, but that fox is going down…"_ Kingdra said but only Ash and Sabrina understood him. Daisy got the gist of what Kingdra said. "Alright then use **Water** **Pulse** …"

"Counter with **Shadow** **Ball** _and_ _follow_ _up with a_ _ **Tackle**_ _…"_ Ash commanded, his calm demeanor not changing in the slightest.

Angel just nodded her head before launching a ball of blackish-purple energy at the orb of water, detonating it at range. In the resulting smoke and mist, Angel charged towards Kingdra's last position and tackled the surprised Pokémon. As Kingdra was in the water, Angel also ended up in the water. The pained cry of Kingdra and the following splash let everyone know what happened.

"What? You didn't like command your Eevee to attack Kingdra? Why did Eevee attack?" Daisy asked confused.

"Daisy, Ash is a Psychic and Aura Adept. He can use telepathy." Misty called out from the stands. Daisy was 1surprised at the new information but took it in stride.

"So you are commanding your Pokémon using telepathy. That is why Scyther and Eevee seems to be sometimes attacking like without commands. Don't think that will let you win. I have defeated other psychics using similar tactics." Daisy said with a smirk.

"Kingdra rush in with **Dragon Rush** and don't drop your guard. Eevee can attack at any time." Kingdra nodded his head before launching himself out of the water and towards the still swimming Eevee. His body covered in bluish draconic energy in the shape of a dragon.

"Angel look out!" Ash exclaimed in fear of Angel's health.

Angel barely heard Ash before she saw the blue water dragon falling towards her. With no way to escape, Eevee remembered all the love, care and happiness she found with her new trainer. This caused her become determined to survive Kingdra's attack and winning the battle for her friend. The same friend who saved her life and gave her a home. Just as she was going to be hit by Kingdra, she glowed with the light of evolution before growing larger in size and growing feelers from her head.

"I didn't know Eevee could evolve without a Water Stone, Thunder Stone or a Fire Stone?" Lily said right before Kingdra rammed into the evolving Eevee and caused an explosion. After the smoke and mist cleared, everyone could see what used to be Eevee standing on one of the platforms while Kingdra was swimming in the water, warily watching the unknown Pokémon.

"What is that Pokémon?" Violet asked as she observed Angel. She now had four feelers growing from her head and her eyes had become pale blue and her coat had changed into pale pink with bright rose pink highlights.

"Great job Angel. You became a Sylveon!" Ash exclaimed with joy before taking out Dexter.

"Dexter scan Angel for me, will you?" Ash asked his Porygon Pokédex.

After sprouting the general information on Sylveon's species Dexter started giving more detailed information.

 _Gender: Female Pokémon_

 _Type: Fairy_

 _Ability: Pixilate – All of this Pokemon's Normal-typed moves are now Fairy-type._

 _Attack:_ _ **Agility, Sand-attack, Quick Attack, Bite, Tackle, Dazzling Gleam, Iron Tail, Shadow Ball, Dig, Secret Power, Hyper Beam, Fairy Wind, Facade, Last Resort**_

"That isn't a Pokémon native to Kanto, is it? And I didn't even know Eevee could evolve like without an evolutionary stone!" Daisy asked with apprehension. She was fearful after hearing about the Pokémon's ability and attack list.

"There are many different forms Eevee can evolve to. This is one of them. The Kanto forms require the evolutionary stones. Thunder Stone for Jolteon, Fire Stone for Flareon and Water Stone for Vaporeon. There are a couple of caves in some of the other regions like Sinnoh and Unova that have large frozen crystals that allow Eevee to evolve into Glaceon, an Ice type. There are also some rocks covered in moss that give off powerful grass type energy in some regions. An Eevee coming in contact with these rock evolve into Leafeon, a Grass type. Eevee evolve into Umbreon when they are very happy and are exposed to the rays of the moon. Umbreon is a Dark type. Espeon is the evolution Eevee takes when they are happy and are exposed to the sun's rays. Espeon are Psychic types. Then there is Sylveon. As you can see they are Fairy type. Eevee evolve into Sylveon when they know a fairy type move and are happy."

After Ash explained all the evolutions Eevee can make, everyone nodded their heads in understanding. "Now can we continue the battle?"

"Oh! Right, sorry Ash." Daisy said blushing. "Kingdra use **Dragon** **Pulse**. It should knock Sylveon out after it survived the **Dragon** **Rush**." Kingdra nodded his head and launched a powerful shockwave at Angel.

"Ignore it and return fire with a **Hyper** **Beam** …" Ash said with a smirk. Angel also had a smirk on her face as she charged up a pinkish white Hyper Beam in her mouth.

The Dragon Pulse collided with Angel and exploded hiding her in smoke. From within the smoke, a large beam of pinkish white energy blasted out and struck Kingdra before he could even react. The resultant explosion screened the battlefield in more smoke and mist.

Everyone held their breath and waited for the smoke to clear. It was clear that Sylveon was still in the game. Kingdra is the one causing the doubt. After a couple of moments, the smoke and mist cleared to reveal Sylveon completely unharmed and Kingdra floating in the water, unconscious.

"Kingdra is unable to battle. Sylveon is the winner. Trainers send out your last Pokémon!"

"Thank you Kingdra. Take a good rest." Daisy said returning Kingdra and taking out another pokéball.

"Why don't you stand beside me Angel and watch the last the battle. If we win the next one, we win, else Daisy will win." Ask said kindly.

" _Sure Ash!'_ Angel replied excitedly before jumping from the platform to stand beside Ash.

"Pikachu take the field…"

" _It's time for my shocking performance!"_ Pikachu exclaimed just as excitedly. Sylveon just giggled at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Seaking take the stage!" Daisy said releasing her fish like water Pokémon. "Let's see you take down Seaking. He hasn't lost to an electric type like ever."

'If that Seaking hasn't lost to an electric type before, that could mean that it has the ability Lightning Rod. Dam that will be a problem.' Ash deduced.

"Pikachu start out with a **Quick Attack**!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu nodded his head and launched towards Seaking with a white aura around him and leaving behind a line of afterimages.

"Seaking use **Protect** ," Daisy said calmly. As Seaking obeyed her mistresses commandand created a greenish shield, Daisy didn't see the smirk form on Ash's face.

"Pikachu use **Feint** …" Ash commanded as Pikachu came closer to Seaking. Before Seaking could even understand what happened, Pikachu somehow got inside her shield and tackled her in the side. After that, Pikachu used her as a launching platform and jumped back towards Ash leaving her stunned. Landing on platform Pikachu wasted no time and attacked her again with **Quick Attack** when Ash issued his next command.

"Pikachu finish this off with **Iron Tail** , just as Midori showed you." Pikachu nodded his head, still sprinting around Seaking. Then suddenly he changed course and shot towards her with his tail glowing with a silver sheen.

"Seaking try dodge. Don't let that **Iron Tail** hit you. The momentum Pikachu has will easily knock you out!" Daisy cried out hoping that her starter would be able to at least limit most of the damage Pikachu's attack would cause. As she hoped, Seaking was able to dodge most of the attack, but Pikachu somehow twisted his body and still struck Seaking hard, making Seaking fly backward into the pool wall.

"Are you alright Seaking?"

" _I am a bit sore, but I will manage. Let's take this rat down!"_

"If you are sure, then use Hyper Beam." Seaking complied and charged up a ball of orange-white energy at the tip of her horn before releasing it at Pikachu.

" **Substitute** …" just as the beam of destructive energy was about to hit Pikachu, he vanished in a puff of smoke. After the smoke cleared, everyone saw the Hyper Beam strike a Pokémon doll and ripping it to pieces.

"Now finish this off while Seaking is unable to move. **Iron Tail** enforce it with **Quick Attack**." Ash commanded with excitement. Pikachu complied and charged at the immobile Seaking. One moment Pikachu was near Ash, the next he appeared in front of Seaking leaving a trough of water, showing that Pikachu ran on top of the water and struck Seaking with his glowing tail. Sending Seaking back to the wall of the pool. After impacting the wall, Seaking fell off and floated on the water. Unconscious to the outside world.

"Seaking is unable to continue battling. Pikachu is the winner. Therefore the Challenger wins the right to get a Cascade Badge." The Referee declared as Daisy returned Seaking. After the pool was sealed up, Daisy approached Ash and handed over a blue tear shaped badge.

"Here is the Cascade badge Ash, like congratulations. You are the first person to defeat me while I used my best Pokémon. There were two other trainers from Pallet Town. One said he was called Clio and the other called himself Gary Oak. Out of them, only Oak won but just barely and in the standard three-on-three battle with no substitutions on my side. They both gave warned me about you. And I am pleased to have taken their warning seriously. In a standard battle, you would have, like, decimated me." Daisy said with a smile.

"Thank you Daisy. I will say that you were much more difficult to defeat than Brock."

"Like, take care of my sister while she travels with you, will you?"

"You have my word that I will take care of Misty. I won't let a friend be harmed if I can help it."

"Like, I am so relieved. Lily and Violet picks on her too much and she need to control her temper a bit more. Anyway congratulations again and don't be a stranger if you are in Cerulean again." Daisy said with a smile before turning to the approaching Misty, Sabrina and Brock.

"Wow! Daisy that was a great battle. It seems that you have finally decided to take your position as Gym Leader seriously." Misty complemented.

"Yea! Like after Lily and Violet's mess-up, I had to take my duty seriously, else we could have lost the Gym. It is like the only thing we have left from Mom and Dad." Misty became somber while nodding her head in acceptance. "So like are you continuing your journey? If you do, could you like catch some more Pokémon from the different regions for the gym?"

"I will be sure to catch more Pokémon for the Gym Daisy. Any Pokémon in particular?"

"Like try to get a couple of Chinchou, Corsola, Remoraid, Marill and Qwilfish. Won't mind a couple of Magikarp either."

"Can do! Ash are you planning to go to Johto anytime in the future?"

"Yeah to participate in next year's Silver Conference. If you want, you can go with me."

"Thanks Ash. So sometime next year you will be getting those Pokémon Daisy. Bye for now and don't let Lily and Violet become complacent in battling. Their license may be reinstated sometime in the future." Misty said seriously but with a smile.

"Yeah like see you later Misty. We have another show in ten minutes, and I have to get ready for my part. You and your friends are welcome to stay and watch?" Daisy asked with a smile.

"I think I will pass this time. I need to get Flash thawed out and then get in contact with my friends and family. It will take up the remaining daylight. Then I have to get to sleep early because tomorrow I have to wake up early and train my Pokémon as well." Ash said with a smile.

"I want to stay and watch the show!" Sabrina said excitedly. Brock also decided to accept the invitation. Misty pondered the offer for some time before saying, "I think that I will head towards old man Jenkins house. He asked me to catch him an Oddish. I think that I better give him the Oddish I caught before I met Ash."

"Like whatever you want. Toma take Sabrina and Brock to the reserved seats will you." Daisy said to the Referee

"Yes mam!" Toma exclaimed before leading Brock and Sabrina to the performance room.

"Are you going to like leave early in the morning?"

"By ten has become the standard, though Ash tends to wake up at the crack of Dawn to train with his Pokémon."

"Train with his Pokémon?"

"Tell you when I see you again. I better head out now before it starts getting dark. Ash has already left while we were conversing." Daisy looked around and saw that Ash was really gone along with his Pokémon.

"Then see you later Misty." Daisy said before heading towards the dressing rooms.

* * *

At the Pokémon Centre, Ash was sitting on his bed. After having an early dinner and getting Flash thawed, he called his mother. He just finished conversing with his mother.

"You know Pikachu. It's funny that everyone thinks that mom's Gym is easy because it is new, but they forget to check the back ground on mom. If they did, they would see that mom was a former league champion and had nearly defeated the Elite Four Challenge."

" _How far did she make it?"_ Pikachu asked with curiosity.

" _Delia defeated three of the four Elite Four Members. If I am not mistaken, she lost to Agatha, but was able to take down five of Agatha's Pokémon before losing."_ Ferrum explained.

"Agatha has extreme experience and her Pokémon are nothing to sneeze at. Most of her Pokémon and lower class legendary level."

" _Like Celebi?"_ Pikachu asked.

"Yes like Celebi. Don't think that Celebi is a weak legendary. Hell no! From what Mew told me, she fears angering Celebi. Anyway let me call Serena and see what she is up to." Ash said calling Serena using his X-transceiver. After a couple of rings, Serena picked up the call.

"Hey Serena! How is your Pokémon Journey going?"

"I am at home. I don't know what I want to be for the moment, so I took a leaf out of your book and decided to train my Pokémon at home of a couple of years."

"What did you choose for your starter?"

"Fennekin the fire fox Pokémon. She is an adorable Fire type whose final evolution form, Delphox is a Fire/Psychic dual type. She has the Blaze as her ability and knows **Ember** , **Tail** **Whip** , **Growl** and I taught her **Tackle**."

"So you are just going to bond with Fennekin and train her?"

"Yeah and help Professor Syacmore with his research. When are you coming to Kalos?"

"At least five more years. I plan to go to Johto then Hoenn. After Hoenn, I plan to visit Sinnoh and Unova before coming to Kalos. After Kalos, I may go to Alola. I don't know yet."

"Well at least it will give me time to train up my Pokémon and build up my team before you come. Being an Aura Guardian must bring its share of troubles to you and I plan to be ready to help you if I can."

"You really don't need to do that Serena. It's my job to help others, not let others help me if I can help it."

"Stop complaining. Even the strongest of trees require roots to survive. Let your friends be your roots Ash."

"Since when did you become so wise, or are you quoting a Fortune Cookie?"

"Ha…Ha…Very funny Ash. Anyway it's already late at night, so good night."

"Good night Serena call you later." Ash said preparing to stop his call.

"Oh Ash wait! I forgot to tell you, I have a problematic Froakie on my hands. He always leaves its trainer and returns to Professor Sycamore's lab. I asked the Professor if I could send Froakie to you and he accepted. So I will send him over to Professor Oak's lab in the morning. Remember to pick him up later."

"Sure thing Serena. Now good night and dream of Riding Rhyhorns tonight." Ash said laughing at Serena's expression at the thought of dreaming of riding Rhyhorns.

"If I do dream of riding Rhyhorns, then you can bet that I will blame you for that Ash Ketchum." Serena said before hanging up.

"I think I shouldn't have joked about dreaming of riding Rhyhorns. She hates riding Rhyhorns. I shouldn't have teased her that way, right guys?"

"…"

"Guys?" Ash asked again turning to Pikachu and Ferrum, he saw that both were asleep. "Good night guys. Sleep well, as we have a tough training session planned for tomorrow morning." Ash said before drifting off to sleep himself. A couple of hours later, Brock entered the room to find Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum out cold.


	5. Chapter 4 - Interlude to Vermillion

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks(Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Interlude to Vermilion**

"Well Ash, I better get going. It's been a month since we started travelling together and I really have to take over the Gym for dad." Sabrina said with a sad smile.

"See you later then."

"Don't be so morose. You will see me as soon as you reach Saffron. Just know that I will use my Elite team against you. You better use your Elite team as well."

"I wish you could stay longer at least till Vermilion!" Ash exclaimed sadly.

"Well if you didn't waste most of the month training your new Pokémon up to snuff in the wilderness, we would have already reached Saffron. That was my original plan, but it seems that no plan does survive first contact." Ash just nodded his head sadly before perking up.

"Well if I didn't train for most of the month, we wouldn't have known that Pikachu had untapped psychic powers. Sandslash wouldn't have evolved. Angel wouldn't have become this strong and all of my Pokémon wouldn't have learned new moves!"

"That is true…" Sabrina said remembering the day they found out that Pikachu had psychic powers.

===FLASHBACK===

"Hey Pikachu are you alright?" Ash asked with concern, Pikachu was acting strange and stumbling around since the night before.

" _Yeah Ash, I am fine!"_ Pikachu lied through gritted teeth.

"I know that you are not alright. Tell me what's wrong!" Ash exclaimed vehemently at Pikachu's claim of being fine.

" _I just have a bad headache that is messing with my balance a bit. I should be fine after some rest."_

"Do you have them often?"

" _Yep! They come and go but every time they leave me nearly helpless due to pain. It always seems that some kind of pressure is trying to find rel…release,"_ Pikachu said, still clenching his teeth before moaning in pain. As Pikachu was moaning in pain, Ash and Sabrina felt a weak pulse of psychic energy emanating from the yellow mouse.

"Ash, you felt that?"

"Yeah I did Sab. It seems that Pikachu must have an Alolan ancestor." Ash said before seeing the confusion on Brock and Misty's faces. "Alolan Raichu are Electric/Psychic type. Pikachu is awakening his psychic powers before even evolving." Misty and Brock nodded their heads in understanding.

"Pikachu look at me," Ash said taking hold of Pikachu's front paws in his hands. Pikachu looked up at Ash wincing at the pain he felt from that small movement. "You are awakening your psychic powers. If you keep on suppressing it, you will keep having terrible headaches until the buildup of psychic energy will cause a massive outburst, understand?"

" _Yeah!"_

"So stop fighting the psychic energy. It is better that you learn to calm and focus your mind first. Me and Sab will help you to get a rudimentary grasp on your powers. After that you will only have to strengthen your mind and you will be able to use psychic powers like me, Sab or any psychic type Pokémon. What do you say buddy?" Ash asked with a smile.

" _Will getting control of my psychic powers prevent me from getting these migraines?"_ Pikachu asked with hope filling his voice.

"You won't get migraines due to your psychic powers, but headaches due to concussions and high pitched sound attacks like screech will still occur. The normal fare for everyone, you won't need to worry about any more debilitating headaches," Ash explained as he used his psychic powers to alleviate Pikachu's pain. After a couple of moments of musing, Pikachu nodded his head in acceptance.

"They you better start learning meditation. Sab can you ask Alakazam to help out?"

"Sure Ash, Pikachu why don't you come with me while Ash changes your training schedule to include training of your psychic powers." Sabrina said as she proceeded to pick up the yellow mouse and then walking towards the edge of the clearing where Alakazam and Ferrum were meditating.

===FLASHBACK END===

"…who would have thought that little mouse was a Psychic Prodigy. I still can't believe that it's only been three weeks since he started learning to control his powers and already he is proficient enough to use **Confusion** , **Psyshock** and **Hypnosis**?"

"Well I have been sharing some of my experience to him. His ease in learning to use his psychic powers can be credited to that. Anyway, Sab isn't there any way you could stay till Vermillion?"

"Sorry Ash, but I really have to take over the Gym. Mom and Dad has been planning to take a vacation for some time now. They already have their tickets booked. Their flight is tomorrow morning. I really need to get going." Sabrina said morosely.

"Oh man! Alright they, see you later Sab. Also say hi to Uncle Jim and Aunt Julie for me." Ash said hugging his cousin.

"Will do!" Sabrina replied before releasing untangling from the hug. Releasing her Alakazam. "Bye Guys! See you all at the Saffron City Gym. Alakazam take me home please." Misty and Brock nodded their heads while Pikachu and Ferrum waved to her as Alakazam teleported Sabrina and himself out.

"Alright guys lets head out. Me and my team has trained enough for the moment. We need to get to Vermillion City." Ash exclaimed with excitement.

"Let's head out then Ash. The faster we can reach Vermillion, the faster I can get a nice long hot shower." Misty said with a sad sigh. Brock just nodded his head before he took out a map. A couple of minutes later, he spoke up.

"The path to Vermillion is long, but there appears to be a shortcut if we cut through the forests in that direction," Brock said pointing at a random direction.

"Ash?"

"Yeah Misty?"

"If Brock gets us lost, will you be able to teleport us back to Cerulean?"

"You won't need to worry about getting lost. I have a PokéNav. I can easily tell where we are if we get lost and then find the shortest way to reach our destination. Even if I didn't have the PokéNav, I am still powerful enough to teleport us back to Cerulean City." Misty to a deep breath in relief before smiling at ash in gratitude.

"Hey where did Brock go?" Misty asked turning to see the older boy had vanished in thin air.

" _He headed off in the direction he pointed out. The trees are just blocking him from our view."_ Lucario informed the two humans. Ash and Misty just nodded their heads before heading off in the same direction. Lucario and Pikachu following them.

* * *

A group of three humans and two Pokémon could be seen relaxing in a clearing. A faint mist could be seen in the clearing that quickly got thicker as it reached the trees.

"Brock?"

"Yeah Misty?"

"When are we going to reach Vermillion?"

"If we keep the present pace, we will reach Vermillion by the end of the week. Now it's nearing time for lunch. Ash can you gather some fire wood for me while I set up the table." Brock said while taking out the foldable table and chairs from his backpack.

"Got it Brock. Come on Pikachu and Ferrum." Ash said heading into the mist with his faithful companions.

"Need some help Brock?"

"Sure Misty, why don't you prepare the spot for the camp fire while we wait for Ash?" Misty nodded her head and started looking around the clearing for stones with which to line the fire pit that brock was digging.

Meanwhile Ash, Ferrum and Pikachu were walking through the forest looking for good firewood. Behind Pikachu a small stack of dried brush and twigs were floating, his eyes slightly glowing an ethereal blue-white. Ferrum and Ash on the other hand was carrying some large logs.

" _Do you think that this is enough Ash?"_ Pikachu asked hoping that the answer will be yes.

"This should be enough. We are only having lunch here before we move on, right?"

" _Right Father,"_ Ferrum said with a nod. _"Why don't we head back now?"_

"Yeah the longer we take getting back, the longer it will take for Brock to prepare lunch. What's that sound?" Ash said turning to a random direction.

" _It sounds like someone running and they are being chased by a vehicle of some kind."_ Pikachu said straining his ears.

" _We should see what is going on!"_

"You are right both of you. Let's see what is going on." Ash said motioning for Pikachu and Ferrum to drop their loads and follow him. Running into a clearing, Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum came upon a strange sight.

A young boy with light brown hair and wearing a blue school uniform was running on a treadmill. Around him were three older boys asking him questions, which he was trying to answer.

"What does Pidgey evolve into?" One of the older boys asked.

"A Pidgeotto!" The boy on the treadmill replied promptly.

"What is the average top speed of a Pidgeot?"

"MACH 2!"

"How many Pokémon do Eevee evolve into?"

"Five! Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon… um"

"Times up. You forgot Espeon and Umbreon. They are more common in Johto. Really Joe, if you keep this up, you will fail and kicked out. Do you want that? The Institute is already being sold. If our overall results don't shape up, the Institute will be shut down. Do you want that?"

"No, but…"

"No buts Joe. If you don't want to take it seriously, then just leave the Institute." Another of the boys said with contempt.

"So you lot are students from Pokémon Technical Institute." All four boys turned to see Ash leaning on a tree with Pikachu and Ferrum beside him. Joe fell of the treadmill as he had stopped running in surprise. "You are wrong you know. Eevee evolve into eight distinct Pokémon. Other that the five you know, there are Leafeon a Grass type, Glaceon an Ice type and Sylveon a Fairy type."

"What would a commoner like you know? Guys let's get back to the Institute. We don't need to hang around losers." The final boy said before he and his friends left.

"You alright?" Ash said walking forward and reaching his hand down to help Joe up.

"Yes I am fine," Joe said flicking off the dust from his uniform.

"You shouldn't let them walk all over you like that." Ash said somberly.

"Oh we all are just stressed out. The Institute is being sold to some Royal Family. We are all afraid that it will be closed down."

"Ash! Pikachu! Ferrum!" A female voice could be heard calling in the mist.

"Where are you guys?" A male voice sounded out next.

" _We are here Brock and Misty!"_ A thick male voice was heard throughout clearing.

"Who said that?" Joe asked with confusion.

"That would be Ferrum, my Lucario."

"Alright. Oh I have been meaning to ask, I haven't heard of the other three evolutions of Eevee before. I haven even heard of the Fairytype before either."

"That is because Kanto and Johto don't have the required natural formations to allow Eevee to evolve into Leafeon or Glaceon. Also Fairy type was recently discovered in Kalos. Tell me what type is Clefairy?"

"A Normal type. Everyone knows that!" Joe exclaimed with indignation. It was that this moment that Misty and Brock walked into the clearing.

"Clefairy has been reassigned to be Fairy type. Similarly other Pokémon are now assigned Fairy type. Previously we always wondered why Dragon type attacks didn't have an effect to some Pokémon."

"Yeah! Why don't I give you a tour of the Institute?"

"That's fine with me. How about you guys?"

"I have no problems with that." Misty said while Brock nodded his head in acceptance.

"Then follow me. We are standing just outside the gates of the Institute." Joe said as the fog cleared to reveal the large mansion style school. Joe guided his guests into the Institute before asking, "So why do some Pokémon seem immune to Dragon type attacks?"

"That's because they were Fairy type Pokémon. The Fairy type is immune to Dragon type. How many Pokémon are there in the world?"

"A little less than five hundred."

"There are over eight hundred Pokémon. Eight hundred and two to be exact. Then there are alternate forms as well. In the Alola Region to the south, Sandshrew and Sandslash are Ice/Steel types."

"It seems that the curriculum is a bit outdated then." Joe said morosely. "Well at least strategy and understanding of Pokémon we know about is well taught here. I am considered to have more skill than a Trainer with two badges."

Joe directed the group to a room with a large machine in it. "This the Pokémon Battle Simulator. I have been able to beat the Pewter and Cerulean City Gyms easily."

"There is no substitution to real experience. Simulations are useless. As one of the Gym Leaders of Cerulean, I can certify that the simulation is not up to the mark of the Gym."

"If that is what you think. I can easily defeat you!" Joe said motioning the group to follow him to the battle field. Walking out to a basic battle field, Joe took one side while Misty took the other.

"Brock be the referee!" Misty commanded through gritted teeth. Brock nodded and walked forward.

"This will be a single one-on-one battle between Joe and Misty. Trainers release your Pokémon."

"Weepinbell come on out…" Joe called our releasing the pitcher plant like Pokémon.

"Misty calls Starmie…" Misty said releasing the large purple starfish Pokémon.

"THREE… TWO… ONE… BEGIN!" Brock said dropping both hands.

"Weepinbell use **Razor Leaf**!" Weepinbell complied launching a large amount of razor sharp leaves at Starmie.

" **Protect**!" A greenish barrier formed around Starmie. The barrage of leaves struck the barrier but didn't penetrate it.

"He doesn't realize that Weepinbell is not strong enough to take down that Starmie," A girl with dark red hair and reddish-brown eyes said from beside Ash. She was wearing a female version of the uniform Joe was wearing. "Type advantage isn't everything."

"Joe doesn't stand a chance. Starmie is a high level Pokémon. Misty should have held back against him. The name Ash Ketchum and these are Ferrum and Pikachu."

"Giselle Foxx. Nice to meet you and your Pokémon." Ash just nodded at her before returning his attention to the battle.

"Starmie finish it off with a **Water Gun**!" Stamie complied and launched a powerful jet of water at Weepinbell, knocking it out.

"Weepinbell is unable to battle. The victory goes to Misty."

"How? Weepinbell had the type advantage. He should have won."

"Starmie has more experience and is stronger than Weepinbell. It's was given that he would have lost. I would like to battle you and your Starmie, Misty was it?"

"Yeah and I accept your challenge." Giselle walked to Joe's place and released a Graveler.

"Graveler vs. Starmie… BEGIN!"

"Starmie use **Water Gun**!"

"Dodge with **Rollout** and then strike with **Thunder Punch**."

Graveler rolled out of the way of Starmie's jet of water and rammed into it, stunning Starmie. Not waiting for Starmie to recover, Graveler uncurled and punched Starmie with a fist coated in lightning. Graveler kept striking Starmie till it fainted.

"Starmie is unable to battle. The victory goes to Giselle and her Graveler."

"Return Starmie. You did great out there." Misty said returning Starmie back into its pokéball.

"That was a good strategy Giselle, right?"

"Right and thank you for the complement. Now I would like to battle you cutie!" Giselle said winking at Ash.

"Whatever you want milady," Ash replied in a flirtatious manner. Brock and Misty just stared gob-smacked at Ash. It was the first time that they saw their friend showing any interest in the farer sex.

"Pikachu take the stage. Guys you better shut your mouths, else Cutiefly will get in." Pikachu jumped down from his perch on Ash's shoulder and got into a ready stance. Brock and Misty shook their heads as they calmed down from their shock.

"Return Graveler," Giselle said. "Take the field Cubone."

"Cubone vs. Pikachu…BEGIN!" Brock said still reeling from the recent shock.

"You may have the first move Giselle," Ash said in a chivalrous manner while smiling at Giselle. Noticing the smile, Giselle faintly blushed before she gave her Cubone his first order.

"Cubone use **Bone Club**!"

" _You are going down rat!"_ Cubone shouted out as he ran towards Pikachu with his bone held above his head. Pikachu just calmly looked on and waited for Ash's command.

"Block it with **Iron Tail** and then counter with **Brick Break**." Pikachu just nodded his head before swinging his silvery tail at Cubone's bone, thereby blocking the attack. As Cubone staggered from being blocked, Pikachu turned around and struck Cubone in the chest with a glowing paw, throwing the little dinosaur back.

"Cubone use **Earthquake**!" Giselle shouted out in frustration. Cubone shook his head before jumping up into the air.

"Pikachu **Magnet Rise** ," Ash commanded calmly. Pikachu complied just before Cubone rammed into the ground causing powerful shockwaves. Looking up, Cubone saw Pikachu floating in the air with a sparking electric field underneath him.

"Cubone use **Bonemerang**!" Cubone complied and threw his bone at the floating Pikachu. Pikachu didn't wait for Ash's command and used an **Iron Tail** to stop Cubone's attack cold.

"Now finish it off with **Quick** **Attack** empowered **Iron Tail**!" Ash said calmly.

"Cubone use **Protect**!" Giselle shouted out in anxiety as Pikachu quickly covered the distance between himself and Cubone.

Pikachu's tail glowing a silvery-white from **Iron Tail** , while his body had a faint white aura from the **Quick Attack**. Cubone created a green shield hoping to imbalance Pikachu. What both Pokémon and trainer didn't expect was Ash's next command.

"Get inside with **Feint** and then deliver the finishing blow." Pikachu didn't waste any time in following the last order and vanished from sight and reappeared inside the now dispelling shield and struck Cubone with his glowing tail and in the process knocking him out.

"Cubone is unable to battle. The victory goes to Ash and Pikachu." Brock declared as Giselle took out Cubone's pokéball and returned him.

"That was a great battle. I didn't expect Pikachu to know **Magnet** **Rise** and **Feint**. You have taught him well." Giselle said as she shook Ash's extended hand.

"You aren't a bad battler yourself. I would put you as a mid-class trainer at the moment. If you participate in the Indigo League this year, I can guarantee that you will easily make it to the top sixteen." Giselle blushed at Ash's compliments to her battling skills.

"To bad that I still have three more years before I pass from the Institute. Even then it's uncertain that the Institute will remain open long enough for me to graduate. Unless I graduate, I won't qualify for the league." She explained with a sad sigh.

"Then why don't you do the Gym Challenge. It will help you get real experience. Mock battles will only lead you so far on the path to be a Pokémon Master. Real life experience is the best way to get very far down that path." Ash explained.

"Ash is right um Giselle. Studying here is fine and dandy, but nothing compares to real experience." Misty said while Brock nodded his head in agreement.

"What the young man and his friends said is true. I opened the Institute to teach my students the basics of Pokémon Training and Battling. Graduates get an automatic pass to the League, that is true, but the possibility of them making a name for themselves is low without the real experience. What we teach here can be also learned during the journey to get the badges." An old man with white hair and mustache said. He was wearing an expensive suit and beside him was a middle aged man.

"Headmaster! It's an honor sir!" Joe said while bowing.

"Well aren't you going to introduce me to your friends Giselle dear?"

"Right sir! These are Ash, Brock and Misty. Joe was giving them a tour, I think?" Giselle said looking at Joe, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Guys this is Mr. Brown. He is the owner and Headmaster of the Pokémon Technical Institute," Giselle explained. "And with him, unfortunately I don't know him. Will you please introduce yourself sir?" Giselle asked the man accompanying Mr. Brown. The man was wearing a black colored shirt with a blue suit jacket and black pants. A blue hat similar to Ash's was worn on his head. He also wore a grey cape and crystal embedded gloves. On his shoulder sat a powerful looking Pikachu.

"Well if it isn't Sir Brunner. Are you here on behalf of my cousin?" Ash said confusing all of the onlookers.

"Yes I am Grand Master. It's nice to see you and Ferrum again." Brunner said before he turned to Pikachu. "And I see that you have found the joy of having a Pikachu as one of your partners."

" _Ah Ash? Why is he looking at me like that?"_ Pikachu asked using his growing telepathy skills. Giselle, Joe and Mr. Brown were surprised to hear Pikachu's heavy mental voice resound in their heads.

"Oh he is favors your evolutionary line a bit. If I am not mistaken, he also has a Raichu and a Pichu. Both quite adept at using their aura, but it is Pikachu over there who is his strongest partner. She has already mastered her aura to a good enough degree to give Blaze trouble." Ash explained pointing at Pikachu.

" _It's nice to meet another Pikachu who knows telepathy. How long have you been with the Grand Master? It seems that you already have a good understanding on aura to be able to develop telepathy."_ Brunner's Pikachu said with excitement. Her voice being more feminine to Ash's.

" _I am actually a psychic. I have already got a good understanding of my psychic powers. I have barely started tapping into my aura."_ Pikachu explained with a sigh.

" _Then you will evolve into an Alolan Raichu!"_ The female Pikachu exclaimed. Pikachu just nodded his head before thinking, _'That is if I decide to evolve.'_

While the two Pikachu talked, Ash and Brunner explained how aura could be used to communicate, attack, defend or even heal. Ash also explained how his Pikachu just stared learning aura manipulation and how his telepathy comes from his psychic powers.

"Brunner? Can I have a moment?" Ash asked nodding to a secluded portion of battle field. Brunner nodded his head and followed Ash.

"Grand Master?"

"Did you sense any dormant Aura Adepts here?"

Brunner nodded his head seriously and said, "There is one, but I can't seem to pinpoint who."

"That girl, Giselle. Concentrate all of your concentration while using Aura Sight on her. Then tell me if I am right!" Brunner nodded his head and did as Ash asked. After a couple of moments, he gasped and shook his head in disappointment.

"How could I have missed it? She has the potential to easily become an A-ranked Guardian." Ash nodded his head in agreement. "Should I approach her about training?"

"You should! Our order is still growing and with the recent evidence suggesting that the Brotherhood is also rising again, we need all the Pure Guardians we can get. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past, else both the Order and the world will be doomed." Ash explained ominously, Brunner nodding his head in agreement as both returned to the group standing at the edge of the battle field looking at them.

"Lunch is nearly upon us, so how about everyone have lunch here before all of you head out again." Ash, Brock, Misty and Brunner nodded their heads in acceptance.

After having lunch at the Institute, Ash and his friends decided to return to their camp and pack it up before heading off. Brunner on the other hand approached Giselle and invited her to join the order and gave her a month to decide before telling Mr. Brown that he will return in a month with all the relevant paperwork.

* * *

A couple of days later, Ash and his group was resting near a small spring when a small round blue-purple Pokémon with a bunch of leave on its head walked out of a thicket and started to drink.

"What a cute Pokémon, I got to catch it!" Misty exclaimed standing up, taking out a pokéball, she threw it, "Misty calls Starmie. Starmie use **Water Gun**." The purple starfish launched a powerful water gun at the surprised Pokémon when a blue **Aura Barrier** stopped the attack.

"That Oddish is still recovering. See the bruises it has on parts of her body?" Ash said pointing at the dark blotches. "She doesn't have the strength to put up a proper fight Misty."

"Oh!" Misty said before she finally comprehended what Ash said. "OH! I am sorry Oddish! I didn't notice that you are injured. Misty said carefully approaching the scared Grass Pokémon. What she and Brock didn't sense was the hostile presence in the thicket. Just as Misty was about to touch Oddish, a vine tried to smack her away only for it to be block by a blue barrier of Aura.

"There is no need for hostility Bulbasaur," Ash said with an expressionless face.

" _Stay away from him Humans, or I will make you!"_ The Bulbasaur shouted out in anger, trying to scare away the humans. _'Damned Humans! Unworthy of trust, most of them!'_

"So you don't trust most humans? Had a bad encounter, huh?" Ash said after picking up Bulbasaur's stray thoughts.

" _Did you just read my thoughts?"_ Bulbasaur asked with a surprised expression dawning on his face.

" _Surface thoughts are easily picked up on by powerful Psychics without even trying. Both me and Ash heard your thoughts as clearly as the sun shines in the sky." Pikachu responded telepathically. "We don't even need to actively read your mind. It's a passive ability."_

"What Pikachu said is true. Now may I ask why you don't trust most humans? And don't worry! You can trust me and my friends. I will just heal up Oddish and then you and your friend can leave if you want." Ash asked with a placating and friendly tone.

" _I don't have to explain my reasons to you human! Now leave, or else!"_ Bulbasaur said before he used **Vine Whip** to carry Oddish back into the thicket. Ash just released a sad sigh.

"Don't beat yourself up Ash. You can't help someone who doesn't want it. It's clear that Bulbasaur let his dislike for humans rule his decision to let you heal Oddish." Brock said with a smile.

"Brock's right Ash, but I am now worried about Oddish. Do you think that he will be alright?" Misty asked Ash.

"You are right guys. At least I tried to help. Now I think that we should get moving again or we won't find a suitable place to camp for the night."

"You are right Ash! We better head out again, we have rested enough. Right Misty?"

"Sure let's get going Brock." Misty said picking up her backpack and returning Starmie. Afterwards the group consisting of three humans, a Pikachu and a Lucario were back on the move.

* * *

Inside the basket of a Meowth shaped Hot Air balloon, a blue haired man, a magenta haired woman and a Meowth could be seen observing the group through hi-tech binoculars. "Damn those twerps. Do any of you have a plan to capture that rare Pikachu?"

"No Jessie, I am still think of a way to negate its Psychic powers. Over the past two months, every time we tried to steal that powerhouse of a rat, we have been blasted off. I won't add to the total, so until I have a way to take Pikachu out, I won't try to steal it!" The blue haired man exclaimed with exasperation.

"James is right Jess! Dat Pikachu has more psychic power dan most Kadabra have. Do you really want ta be blasted off again?" Meowth said with a leer.

"Why couldn't you have been of Alolan descent? Then we wouldn't have to worry about the rats psychic powers!" Jessie screamed in impotence.

"Not everyone can have an Alolan ancestor. Just because dat Pikachu had, doesn't mean I would too!"

"Oi, you two take a look at this!" James suddenly exclaimed in surprise, startling Jessie and Meowth out of their argument.

"What do you want, James? Can't you see that me and Meowth were having a serious argument?" Jessie said with annoyance.

"There seems to be a small Village a few miles down the river and it is teeming with Pokémon." James said directing Jessie and Meowth to look at the right direction he was looking before.

"Ya right James! And dere is only a woman dere, so it can't be well protected!" Meowth exclaimed in joy.

"And most seems to be injured. All of them are easy pickings. What do you say? Shall we help some injured Pokémon?" Jessie said with a malice. James and Meowth just nodded their head in acceptance and started planning their next wrong doing.

* * *

Ash and his friends came upon an old rope bridge spanning over a fast flowing stream. After looking around for another way to cross and failing, they finally decided to use the rickety old bridge.

"Brock are you sure that the bridge is safe?" Misty asked with apprehension. No matter what the older boy said, she just couldn't accept that the bridge was safe.

"Don't worry Misty, I can easily catch us if the bridge breaks. Trust me!" Ash said cheerfully, trying to assuage her fears. Misty just gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head, showing that she trusted Ash.

Ash and Misty made it across without much trouble, but when Brock tried to cross, the ropes snapped. Brock would have fallen into the rushing river below if Ash wasn't able to catch him in a psychic hold.

"Don't worry Brock! I got you!" Ash shouted out as he used his powers to float Brock over to him, Misty and Pikachu. Ferrum just jumped across the gap. After setting Brock down he said, "You alright Brock? You aren't in shock are you?"

"I am alright Ash, thanks to you. And I am not the one you should be worrying about. It seems that Misty is the one in shock." Ash turned towards the redheaded girl to see that she was on her knees, pale as a Reshiram and was shaking in shock.

"Don't worry Brock I can help her," Ash said as his palms began glowing a pale blue-green. He placed his glowing palms on either side of Misty's temples and channeled the energy into her. Within moments, the girl stopped shaking and her complexion returned before she finally snapped out of her daze.

"You alright Misty?" Ash asked with a smile. She looked up to see Ash retracting his palms from her temple. Blushing at their close proximity, she just nodded her head, not trusting her voice to embarrass her by trembling. Trying to get up, she saw Ash extend his right hand to help her. "Here let me help you!"

After pulling Misty up, Ash turned to Brock. "Solid as a rock, eh Brock!" Brock just blushed and said, "I saw some of the ropes had been subtly cut in such a way that it wouldn't be obvious. Someone sabotaged the bridge."

"Sabotaged? But why? Who?" Misty asked, startled by the revelation.

"That's the million pokédollar question, isn't it?" Ash said.

" _We better be on alert. There may be more traps in our path. Father we should use_ _ **Aura Sight**_ _to scan our proximity for traps."_ Ferrum said, his body tense with anticipation. "You're right Ferrum. Guys let me and Ferrum lead from here on. We will be able to spot any traps."

"Alright Ash, I will be right behind you."

"And I will be right behind Misty, so lead on you two." Brock said, motioning with his hand for them to lead. Ash and Ferrum just nodded their heads before closing their eyes and concentrated their aura into their eyes. After a couple of moments, Ash's eyes stopped glowing as he opened them up.

"It seems that there is a village a few miles down the path. It's filled with Pokémon, both injured and healthy and a woman who seems to be tending to the injured. There are many different traps along the road as well. I think that the woman must have put them up to discourage visitors. Also it seems that Teem Rocket is heading in that direction in their Hot Air Balloon. So what do we do?"

"We should go there and warn the woman about Team Rocket!" Brock exclaimed passionately.

"We can just blast them away when they arrive as well." Misty stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Alright let's go to the village. We can also help the woman tend to the injured Pokémon there." Ash said walking off in the direction of the village. "Also step only where I step, else you could easily find yourself hanging from a tree branch or fallen into a hidden pit." Ash said looking over his shoulder. Pikachu floating beside him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Ash and his friends walked out of a forest path and into a small village with a large cottage at the center. A stream flowed through a portion of the village in which a Magikarp and Staryu were lounging around in. a couple of Rattata were eating from a bowl of pokéchow. Near another bowl of pokéchow, a Weepinbell, a Caterpie and the Oddish they saw earlier were talking to each other, speaking out their names. A paras was eating from another bowl. And walking with the Bulbasaur beside her was a young woman in her late teens. She had blue hair and light blue eyes. She was wearing a red head band and her hair was tied with a lime green ribbon. She was wearing a pink shirt and red overalls

"Who are you? What do you want here?" The girl shouted out with Bulbasaur growling beside her.

"My names Ash Ketchum and these are my friends Pikachu and Ferrum, my Lucario."

"I am Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City."

"And I am Brock by dear. Will you consent to be my girl…ACKH," Brock shouted out as he was struck by a wooden mallet that had suddenly materialized in Misty's hand. Misty then proceeded to drag brock away from the girl by his ear."

"Sorry about him. Now I am an Aura Guardian. We were on our way to Vermillion when we came across the bridge that snapped. I used my powers to scan the area for more traps when I sensed the village."

"What does that have to do with you being here?" The girl asked impatiently.

"I also sensed a group of Pokémon thieves called Team Rocket heading in this direction and decided to come here and warn you. Also we were looking for a place to rest and have lunch." Ash explained.

"Bulba saur Bulba sauuuur! Sauur uur Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur exclaimed, but since Pikachu wasn't using his growing psychic powers to translate, Brock, Misty and the girl didn't understand what Bulbasaur said.

"No I don't doubt your abilities Bulbasaur. We just decided to help as we have much experience handling the trio of buffoons. And no me and my friend won't catch any Pokémon here, not unless they choose to come with us." Ash said before turning back to the girl.

"You can understand Bulbasaur? Oh, where are my manners! The names Melanie, by the way."

"Yes Melanie. I am both an Aura Guardian and a Human Psychic. Both of my powers help me understand pokéspeech. So can we rest here and have lunch. You won't even have to worry about Team Rocket. Our Pokémon can easily handle them." A smiling Ash said with confidence.

"Then I thank you for your help! Also, you can rest here and have lunch. It would be terribly rude of me to say no when you came here just to tell me about these Pokémon thieves." The girl called Melanie said with enthusiasm.

"Thank you Melanie!" Misty said with gratitude, Brock trying to nod his head in agreement forgetting that his ear was in Misty's firm grasp.

"Will it be a problem if we release our Pokémon?"

"Not at all Ash. As long as they don't cause trouble, all Pokémon are welcome here, even Gyarados!" Melanie said with a kind smile gracing her lips. Ash, Brock and Misty nodded their heads before taking out their pokéballs and releasing their Pokémon.

In flashes of light a red Gyarados, a Charizard, a Serperior, a Sylveon, a Scyther, a Pidgeotto, a Sandslash and a young Ho-oh joined Pikachu and Ferrum. In another part of the clearing, a Geodude, an Onix and a Zubat materialized form Brock's three pokéballs. In the water beside the red Gyarados, Magicarp and Staryu, another Staryu, a Starmie and a Goldeen appeared. All the wild Pokémon and Melanie looked on at the collection of Pokémon with awe.

The sight of a Ho-oh, a red Gyarados, a Serperior and a Sylveon caused all the Pokémon to stare shamelessly.

"What Pokémon are they?" Melanie asked pointing at the Pokémon she didn't recognize.

"Oh! These are Rainbow, my Ho-oh; Midori, my Serperior and Angel, my Sylveon. They are not native to Kanto and Ho-oh are legendary Pokémon native to Johto. Serperior is a grass type Pokémon from the Unova Region. Her kind is the Unovan counterpart of Venusaur. And Sylveon are the fairy type evolution of Eevee discovered in the Kalos Region."

"How did you come by them?" Melanie asked, curiosity overriding her manners.

"I raised Midori, Ferrum and Blaze, my Charizard form eggs. Cherry, I helped her when I was six. She just decided to stay with me after that. Angel, well Pikachu here lead me to her as an Eevee. She had been suffering from acute poisoning. I gave her a mash of pecha and oran berries. After that I took her to Viridian Pokémon Centre. She evolved in my last Gym Battle against Misty's older sisters Kingdra." Ash explained watching as some of the wild Pokémon cautiously approached Cherry, Blaze and Rainbow. While the others readily approached Ferrum, Midori and the rest of his Pokémon.

"So how do Eevee evolve into Sylveon?"

"Eevee evolve into Sylveon when they are very happy and have learned at least one fairy type move. Luckily Angel knew Dazzling Gleam. It's nice to see Cherry and Blaze interacting with other Pokémon so easily." Ash said smiling at his two powerhouses playing the injured Pokémon.

"Yes it is, especially since their species are known to have fearsome tempers. This is the first time I am seeing a Gyarados and a Charizard this mellow. Why don't you relax and I will go make lunch for everyone."

"How about I help you?"

"No need Brock, but I will be much obliged if you will change the bandages on a Raticate that is inside the cottage." Brock just nodded his head in acceptance when Ash and Misty asked what they could do to help. "You tow can help lay out the pokéchow for all the Pokémon. All the bowls are in the kitchen so follow me."

Ash, Misty and Brock followed Melanie into the cottage while their Pokémon played outside. Pikachu and Ferrum were telling their teammates about the threat of Team Rocket when Bulbasaur approached them.

" _Can we help you?"_ Pikachu asked, looking warily at the seed Pokémon.

" _I was wondering why all of you follow that human? My previous trainer was kind like him, but when I lost to a Charmeleon he abandoned me. So why? It will only be a matter of time before he abandons the one he perceives to be the weakest!"_ Bulbasaur exclaimed eyeing Cherry and Blaze with apprehension. Cherry and Blaze on the other hand were glaring at Bulbasaur for insulting Ash.

" _I follow Ash because he saved my life four years ago. He was even able to get the favor of the first Mew for his act of kindness. Do you presume to be a better judge of character?"_ Cherry asked aggressively.

" _Ash hatched me and then raised me to the Charizard I am. He has seen me at my weakest moments and helped me overcome the weaknesses. Your former trainer is a third class one if he released you instead of helping you get stronger!"_ Blaze roared out before turning his back to Bulbasaur. Midori and Angel just ignored him kept playing with the other Pokémon. Ash's other Pokémon didn't have anything to add except Rainbow.

" _You should know that my mother asked Ash to train me so that I can protect myself better when I start performing my duties later. In the past century, my kind haven't shown ourselves to humans or Pokémon alike. It is Ash's pure and noble heart that has brought us out of our self-imposed exile. Do you think that we are mistaken?"_ Rainbow asked kindly, knowing that Bulbasaur was traumatized from his abandonment.

" _So he is the prophesized Chosen One?"_ Bulbasaur said after contemplating all that he learned. Rainbow and Cherry was surprised at Bulbasaur deducing that from what little was revealed but they nodded their heads in agreement, surprising Ash's other Pokémon except Ferrum, Midori and Blaze.

" _Are you telling me that Ash is the Chosen One? Arceus's champion! The one who will bring together Pokémon and Humans into a perfect harmonious relationship!"_ Pikachu telepath'd out in surprise at learning that his friend was to become a legendary figure in the future.

" _That is right Pikachu, he knows that he is the Chosen One, but he doesn't yet truly know what it entails. As time passes, more of his fate will be revealed to him. You mustn't let him know about the prophesy yet, am I clear?"_ Rainbow explained. Subtle undertones of promises of unspeakable tortures making it across to all of the assembled Pokémon, causing them to shiver in fear. All nodded their heads in understanding.

" _Damn I didn't believe my dream would partially come true!"_

" _What do you mean Bulbasaur?"_ Midori asked finally showing an interest in her fellow grass type.

" _As a child, I always wanted to meet the Chosen One and help him in his duties,"_ Bulbasaur said excitedly before he sighed sadly. _"At least I got to meet him."_

" _You can still help him. You can join us and him. Become our teammate!"_ Flash, Ash's Scyther said seriously. _"He came in search of me, but left when he realized that I wanted to be left alone. He, Pikachu and Midori later came to my rescue. I was being attached by a poacher. I reconsidered my decision and joined him after that. And I don't regret it for even a moment. I was strong before, but now I am so much stronger. And it's all thanks to Ash and his training methods."_

" _Ash trains beside us. He even spars with us and helps point out our mistakes. It has helped me go very strong in a little under two months. From a runt of a Sandshrew, I am now a powerful Sandslash. He even taught me to use_ _ **Thousand Arrows**_ _and_ _ **Thousand Waves**_ _, moves only Zygarde can use. Though they aren't as powerful as they could be if Zygarde used them."_ Sandslash explained with reverence.

" _How can we even learn moves only Legendary Pokémon can learn? Don't tell me that Pidgeotto can use_ _ **Aeroblast**_ _?"_ Bulbasaur exclaimed in surprise just as the village became filled with smoke.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the starts above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

Ash, Brock, Misty and Melanie ran out to see what the commotion was only to see Blaze use **Defog** to clear away the smoke and Team Rocket prepping some kind of machine with a large vacuum hose.

"Cherry stop them before they cause any more trouble!" Ash shouted out. Before anyone could even blink, Cherry turned to Team Rockets Balloon with a white-orange orb of energy forming between her open jaws. As soon as she had the balloon in sight, she released the pent up energy blowing them away.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" Jessie and James screamed out as they hugged each other. Meowth on the other hand just sighed. "And it seems that we didn't even get to cause any trouble!"

"Well that was quick. I didn't know that Cherry could charge up a **Hyper Beam** that fast!" Brock said with surprise.

"That wasn't at full power. Cherry only charged it up to 10% of the max power she can use it at. That's why she isn't tired."

"Talk about Champion level!" Misty exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"Bulbasaur saur bulbaaaa!" Everyone turned to see Bulbasaur challenging Ash to a battle.

"If that is what you want, I would be happy to become your trainer. If I win that is!" Ash said with a smile. "Sandslash you're up!"

"Slash slash!" Sandslash called out getting a chuckle out of his teammates and trainer.

"It's nice to see you are all fired up for the battle. Brock will you be the referee?"

"Sure Ash! The battle between Bulbasaur and Ash's Sandslash will begin in… THREE… TWO… ONE… NOW!" Bulbasaur didn't waste any time and launched a barrage of razor sharp leaves at Sandslash, who let out a barrage of poisonous barbs to counter the **Razor Leaf** his opponent released.

"Great job using **Poison Sting** to counter now use **Sandstorm**!" Ash commanded as he closed his eyes. Sandslash complied and conjured up a powerful sandstorm hiding him from sight. Bulbasaur's vision became clouded by dust and sand, by he still launched a barrage of sharp leaves at Sandslash's general direction. "Come at Bulbasaur with **X-Scissor** and **Fire Punch**!"

Bulbasaur tried to use **Vine** **Whip** to counter but Sandslash's Sand Rush ability just mad him to fast. Bulbasaur started getting peppered with **X-Scissors** and **Fire Punches** without all of his counters failing.

"Now finish it with **Hyper Beam**!" Bulbasaur tried to guess which direction the attack would come from but the sandstorm prevented him from getting any clues. Just as he was preparing to jump sideways, the beam of energy struck him from behind causing an explosion, knocking him out. Dispelling the sandstorm, Sandslash stood beside Bulbasaur and raised a clawed arm into the air in a sign of victory.

"What a massacre! How can your Sandslash be this powerful with only two months of training?" Melanie asked as Lucario approached and used **Heal Pulse** to help Bulbasaur recover from the beat down Sandslash put him through.

"Extensive training and it helps in having very determined Pokémon as well." Ash said sheepishly, his right hand rubbing the back of his head. Approaching Bulbasaur, Ash took out one of his spare Guardian Balls and held it up. "You did surprisingly well Bulbasaur, but Sandslash was just too fast for you to hit at the moment. So don't feel too down. He is my third fastest Pokémon after Ferrum and Pikachu."

Bulbasaur cheered up at that and touched his head to the button of the Guardian Ball and was absorbed into it in a flash of red light. After a couple of blinks of the button, the ball gave out a ping signifying capture. Releasing Bulbasaur, Ash took out some potions and started administering them to all the wounds **Heal Bell** didn't heal up.

"Now rest up Bulbasaur and your farewells to your friends, alright?" Bulbasaur nodded his head before lying down to rest. After Ash and his friends had lunch, they helped Melanie out by caring of the injured Pokémon. Nightfall came soon, so they all had dinner before turning in for the night. While the humans were doing their things, Bulbasaur was approached by Ash's Pokémon, who decided to become acquainted with their new teammate better. Waking up early in the morning, the group had breakfast before Ash and his friends said their farewells to Melanie and were back on the road to Vermillion City.


	6. Chapter 5 - Shocking Surprise

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Shocking Surprise**

The sun was shining, Pidgey and Pidgeotto were flying in the sky, and barely any clouds could be seen. It was a fine day for the traveling trio of Ash, Brock and Misty. Stopping for a moment, Brock consulted a map. Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder, Ferrum standing beside Ash.

"Hmm…It seems that if we follow this trail, we will reach Route 24, which leads directly to Vermillion. And there is a Pokémon Center at the cross road. We can rest there."

"Sounds good to me Brock." Misty said as a large shadow fell on the group startling them. Looking up, they saw a small lizard like silhouette sitting on a rock. The sun's rays blocking them from identifying what they saw. As the glare from the sunlight faded, they saw a small orange and beige lizard sitting on the rock. The flame on its tail barely burning.

"Oh! It's just a Charmander." Misty exclaimed in surprise.

"And it seems to be very weak." Brock said in an undertone.

"Do you need some help Charmander?" Ash asked with concern. _"_

"Char-Charmander!"

"If you are sure. What are you doing sitting on this rock?"

"Char-char charmander der."

"Ash translation!" Misty said irritated.

" _Sorry, I forgot that you don't understand Pokémon."_ Pikachu said before translating what Charmander was saying.

"So your trainer told you to stay here?"

" _Yes he did. Now stop bothering me."_ Charmander said turning around.

"Can you at least tell me your trainer's name?"

Charmander pondered for a moment before nodding to himself. _"His name is Damien. Now leave!"_

" _Damien!"_ Angel shouted out coming out of her pokéball. _"So the bastard is up to his old tricks again!"_

" _You don't even know him?"_ Charmander shouted out, outraged on his trainers behalf.

" _Oh I know him well. I was his starter, I was. He abandoned me as soon as I lost to a Beedrill. So don't tell me that I don't know him and his habits."_ Angel growled out scaring Charmander with the glare on her angelic face.

"Alright that's enough you two. Now Charmander did you lose a battle before he left you here?"

" _Yeah I did. I lost to a Bulbasaur belonging to a girl named Leaf. Why?"_

"Then Angel is right. He didn't leave you here as training. He abandoned you. You better come with us to the Pokémon Centre and get checked out. After that you can do what you like." Ash said trying to convince Charmander. Charmander thought for a few moments before he turned back to Ash.

" _How do I know that you aren't trying to capture me? My kind is rare in the wild."_

"That's because I already have a Charizard, Blaze. I raised him from an egg." Ash said releasing Blaze. "Oi Blaze looks like we have a distrustful, abused Charmander on our hands!"

Blaze turned to look at Charmander before snorting. Charmander stared at Blaze in awe. He could literally feel the waves of power the fully evolved Pokémon gave of. Blaze lowered his head to level his eyes with Charmander. The glare he gave scared Charmander, who consequently fell of his perch.

" _Runt! What's the hold up?"_ Blaze roared out. _"Do you want to die? With the size of the flame on your tail and your general weak appearance, a couple of Spearow can easily finish you off. Come with us to the Pokémon Center or I will drag you there by your tail. So what will it be huh?"_ Charmander just nod in fear and then motioned for the group to lead the way.

Blaze picked up Charmander in his arms and flew up. Ash and Pikachu used their Psychic powers to levitate themselves along with Brock and Misty, following Charizard down the path. Ferrum picked up Angel and followed them by land, using aura to augment his speed. After a few minutes of flight, the group alighted in front of the Pokémon Centre. Ferrum appearing moments later. Entering the Pokémon Centre, the group made towards the front desk and Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy we have an abandoned and injured Charmander in Blaze's arms." Nurse Joy looked up and directed her vision in the direction Ash pointed. She saw a powerful Charizard carrying an injured Charmander.

"Oh my! That Charmander looks very weak. Chansey quickly bring a stretcher and take the poor thing to the ER!" Nurse Joy exclaimed causing the Chansey beside her to quickly comply. Blaze gently set Charmander down on the stretcher before backing off. Nurse Joy and Chansey hurried to the ER room and closed the door. The light above the room glowing.

"Do you think Charmander will be alright?" Misty asked worriedly.

"Of course he will be alright. This is Nurse Joy we are talking about!" Brock exclaimed.

"Great job Blaze, now return. You too Angel!" Ash returned both of his Pokémon as he walked towards the trainers lounge. Misty, Brock, Ferrum and Pikachu following. As they were waiting for news about Charmander, it began to heavily rain.

"Good thing we were able to convince Charmander to come with us, else he would have been caught in this awful storm." Ash and Brock nodded their heads in agreement to what Misty said.

"Hahaha… Yeah! This is a great collection, isn't it?" An obnoxious voice sounded in the lounge. Turning to the source, Ash and his friends saw a blue haired boy sitting on a couch with a group of trainers around him. On the table in front of the group was a large pile of pokéballs.

"Hey Damien didn't you have a Charmander?" one of the trainers asked curiously.

"Yeah I did, but I left it on a rock in the forest. That thing was pathetically weak. It couldn't even defeat a Bulbasaur of a rookie trainer from some no-name town called Pallet. At first it followed me until I told it to wait on the rock for me. It was stupid enough to believe me as well." The boy called Damien said.

"And what about that Eevee, your starter? I don't see its pokéball here!" another trainer asked.

"Oh it lost to a Beedrill over two months ago. I just crushed its pokéball in front of it and then left it. Who needs weak Pokémon like that?"

Ash had enough of Damien's callous behavior and decided to act. Standing up, Ash approached the group with a neutral expression on his face. Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, Ferrum a couple of steps behind him and to his left. Brock and Misty not far behind.

"Do you have permission from the league to carry more than six Pokémon?" Damien looked up to see Ash staring down at him.

"What's it to you? If I have permission or not shouldn't matter to you!" Ash kept staring with the neutral expression on his face. Pikachu and Ferrum just glared at the boy. "That's a rare and strong Pokémon! Want to trade?"

"Show me your license!" Ash barked a bit of his anger seeping into his voice. Damien just stared at Ash with a raised eyebrow. "Your license! NOW!"

"Who are you to demand me to see my license?" Damien said aggressively, his arrogance making him dismiss the woman sitting in a shadowed corner of the lounge watching the proceedings with interest, a Growlith sitting beside her.

"Dexter give me all the information you can get on Damien!" Ash exclaimed taking out his Pokédex. The Porygon materialized and proceeded to scan Damien. After a couple of moments, Dexter changed his from to that of a large screen displaying Damien's information.

 _Name: Damien Beaumont_

 _Age: 11+ Years_

 _DOB: 3_ _rd_ _July_

 _Address: Beaumont Manor, Outside Celadon City_

 _License: General Pokémon Trainer_

 _ID: 115882_

 _Limit: Six Pokémon_

 _Pokémon: Eevee (Starter) (Released), Ponyta(Shiny), Charmander (Released), Sandshrew, Vulpix (Alolan), Tauros, Kangaskhan, Squirtle, Bellsprout, Dratini, Geodude (Released), Pidgey, Shellos (East Sea), Frokie, Scyther, Beedrill, Vaporeon, Caterpie (Released), Bulbasaur (Released), Venonat (Released), Oddish (Released), Larvitar, Slugma, Shuckle_

 _Notes: There are reports on Damien Beaumont abusing his Pokémon and releasing some of them while they are seriously ill._

"There I have enough information on you to revoke your license Damien Beaumont. Dexter send this message to Director Goodshow of the Pokémon League."

 _Dear Mr. Goodshow,_

 _I would like to let you know that the Trainer Damien Beaumont, ID# 115882 is in violation of both his license and The Trained Pokémon Protection Act, Clause 5 under Section 3 Sub-section C. He has been found abusing Pokémon and carrying Pokémon over his carry limit. Therefore I have decided to revoke his license as is my right under the Agreement between the Aura Guardian Order and The Pokémon League._

 _Yours Respectfully,_

 _Sir Ash Ketchum, Grand Master of the Order, Kingdom of Rota_

"Have you recorded all of it Dexter?"

"Yes Sir. Should I send it to his emergency E-mail address or the general one?"

"Send it to the emergency one. Also alert the Officer Jenny who is the Overseer of this area to come here as soon as she can."

"That won't be required Sir Ketchum. I have already been investigating the brat and was waiting for him to slip up so I could catch him red handed." The woman said standing up and walking towards the group, the Growlith following her.

"Damien Beaumont you are hereby under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court." She said taking out a pair of handcuffs. Turning to Ash she said, "Thank you for simplifying my job Sir Ketchum. It's nice to have the Order active again. So do you want to handle his Pokémon or should I?"

"I will handle the Pokémon. Some will require extensive therapy, so sending them to Headquarters to be rehabilitated under the care of the Squires. Those who want will be released and those who will want to join me and my companions will be allowed to do so." Jenny just nodded her head before taking out her walkie-talkie.

"This is Jenny. Requesting for prisoner transport at Pokémon Centre 002841 on Route 24. Over!"

"Transport on its way mam! It should be there in half an hour. Over!" The reply came a few minutes later.

"Copy. Over and Out!" Turning to Ash she said, "Thank you for your cooperation Sir Ketchum. How many Knights does the Order have active at the moment? You don't have to answer if it's classified."

"Don't worry Officer Jenny. The number of Knights has always been public knowledge. At the moment we have seven Knights, three Master Knights and me the Grand Master. We also have nine squires and more being recruited as we speak."

"So are all of the Knights travelling around doing their duty?"

"All Knights are. The Master Knights have three squires training under them at the moment, so they act only when called. Me on the other hand am travelling around and can be reached through Headquarters. I will handle most of the problems that will require Master Knights, unless I am otherwise occupied. Don't worry so much Officer Jenny, by the end of five years we will have three more Master Knights and six more Knights and countless more Squires. I plan to bring the Order back up to its former glory. We also have decided to join the Order with the Pokémon Ranger Organization. Three of Top Rangers seems to be Aura Adepts. They are training under Master Kenway and Sir Aaron's Lucario as we speak."

"So three Top Rangers are being trained to access their dormant Aura powers? Will they be leaving the Ranger Organization or is the joining of the Order and the Organization removes conflicted loyalties?"

"It will remove conflicted loyalties. The Rangers will keep handling the problems they normally do, the Guardians will handle the ones that the Rangers are ill equipped for, such as rampaging Legendries." Ash replied promptly.

"Young man that Charmander you brought in has completely recovered and is now sleeping. He was suffering from extreme exhaustion and had a bit of internal bleeding. All of that has been taken care of, so he will make a complete recovery." Nurse Joy said approaching the group. Ash just nodded his head in thanks as he picked up all of Damien's pokéballs and handed them over to Nurse Joy.

"Will you please check them over and give me and Officer Jenny a detailed report of your findings. We have reason to believe that most, if not all of these Pokémon are abused."

When Nurse Joy hesitated at Ash request, Jenny spoke up. "Do it Joy. The kid is the Grand Master of the Order of Aura Guardians. He has the authority to request such reports. Sir Ketchum may I inform all of my fellow Jenny's and the other Joy's about you?" Nurse Joy's eyes grew large in astonishment as Ash nodded his head in acceptance.

"I was planning to reveal myself during the Pokémon League, but the authorities should have been informed before now. That was an oversight on my part. I will be indebted to you for the service mam." Ash said with gratitude.

"No problem Sir Ketchum. It's best that the authorities know who you are so we don't get in your way."

About half-an-hour later, two more policemen entered the lounge and hauled Damien out to the transport sitting outside in the rain. Officer Jenny decided to wait for Joy's reports before leaving. At around six in the evening, Joy handed Jenny and Ash the printed reports they asked for. Going over the reports, both came to a conclusion on which Pokémon needed what type of attention to be ready of release back into the wild. Officer Jenny left promising to return the next morning.

Next morning Ash released all of Damien's Pokémon at the practice field. Charmander standing beside Blaze, Ferrum, Angel and Pikachu.

A Ponyta with pale blue flames, a Sandshrew, an alolan Vulpix, a Tauros, a Kangaskhan, a Squirtle, a Bellsprout, a Dratini, a Pidgey, a pink Shellos, a Frokie, a Scyther, a Beedrill, a Vaporeon, a Larvitar, a Slugma and a Shuckle stood in front of Ash. All of them surprised at the turn of events.

"Alright everyone! I know that you are confused, so let me clear up that confusion. Yesterday, your trainer Damien was arrested and his trainer's license was revoked as he broke several laws. All of you were confiscated from him. You all understand?"

A cacophony of noise came from the gathered Pokémon. Ash easily understanding that they understood everything perfectly even without his ability to understand Pokémon. Nodding to himself he decided to ask the Pokémon what they wanted.

"Now do all of you want to be released into the wild or do you want new trainers. All approved by the Order of Aura Guardians and me. You can ask your friends Angel and Charmander. They are standing there beside Blaze and Pikachu. Turning towards the other Pokémon, they all happily greeted their old friends.

Ash let all the Pokémon socialize for some time before approaching them. He called out for all of them to form up in front of him and waited as they complied. "Alright all of you have the right to go back to the wild or you can trust me and be given to better trainers. If you want, you can even join me and my team, though those of you who do will have to train very hard to catch up to most of my other Pokémon. So what will it be?"

All of Damien's Pokémon started shouting out their choices to Ash, who was having a hard time processing all of their wants. Seeing his trainer having problems in garnering the silence of the group, Blaze decided to help out. With a single roar, all of the assembled Pokémon became silent.

" _Good! Now you can proceed Ash!"_

"Thank you Blaze! Now all of you who want to be released come forward!" Following his command; Sandshrew, Tauros, Kangaskhan, Bellsprout, Pidgey, Scyther and Beedrill came forward.

"Alright please stand aside so that those who want to be reassigned new trainers by me can come forward!" As requested, the previous group moved aside before the next group walked forward. A pink Shellos, Frokie, Vaporeon, Squirtle, Slugma and Shuckle came forward.

"Alright you lot, your trainers are Gym Leaders; well Misty is. Brock is a former one. I will introduce you lot to them later. So the rest of you want to join my team, huh? Then let me send some of my other Pokémon back to Professor Oak's Ranch first." Ash said looking at the shiny Ponyta, Charmander, Alolan Vulpix, Dratini and Larvitar. Taking out Dexter, he placed the machine on the ground.

"Dexter create an uplink with Professor Oak and inform him of incoming transportation."

"Alright Sir!" Dexter said as he send the message to Professor Oak and then proceeded to create the uplink with the transporter. Ash released the rest of his Pokémon into the field.

"Alright Cherry, Midori, Angel, Flash and Sandslash, all of you are being sent to Professor Oak's Ranch. We have multiple new teammates who will be requiring immediate training." Ash said pointing to the group who was joining him. "So you guys can relax at the Ranch for a fortnight or two, while I train them up. After that I will set up a regular rotation for all of you in groups of three, alright?"

" _Sure Ash! Now that I am going back to the Ranch, how about I take up the training of Froakie?"_

"That's a great idea Cherry. At the same time all of you can continue to lightly train. And try not to destroy more of the Ranch Midori!" Midori just gave a huff and turned to show her back. Telling Ash how offended she felt that he would accuse her of causing problems at the Ranch. "Alright return you lot!" Ash said as he returned the Pokémon he decided to send back. Placing their shrunken pokéballs on the vector plate Dexter created out of its own body, Ash gave Dexter the permission to proceed. In under a second, all five pokéballs vanished into thin air.

"Transportation successful sir! All pokéballs have reached their destination. Is there anything more I can do for you?"

"No thank you Dexter! Please go to standby mode." Ash said as Dexter dematerialized in a flash of light. Ash picked up the Pokédex and then replaced it back in his backpack. "Alright everyone, all of you who want to be released will be handed over to Nurse Joy and she will send you over to the Ranger Union. They shall handle your release." Ash returned Sandshrew, Tauros, Kangaskhan, Bellsprout, Pidgey, Scyther and Beedrill.

"Alright Pikachu! Why don't you go and drag Brock and Misty here. They should be happy to meet their future partners." Pikachu just nodded his head before he teleported to his destination. Before all of the assembled Pokémon could even blink, he was back with Brock and Misty. Both seemed to be irritated with something.

" _Here you go Ash!"_ Pikachu chirped happily. _"Fresh out of bed. They had just walked out of the room, when I teleported them out!"_

"That was not funny Pikachu!" Misty shouted out summoning a large wooden mallet out of nowhere and tried to hit Pikachu with it. Pikachu just used his psychic powers to stop the mallet before it could hit him.

" _Come on Misty! Where is you sense of humor? And I thought you wanted to take in the water type Pokémon that wanted a new trainer?"_ Pikachu said while Brock chuckled at Misty's sudden change in moods from irritated to bliss. No doubt thinking of all the beautiful water Pokémon she will be getting.

"If you are done daydreaming Misty, let me introduce you to the water Pokémon. These are Shellos, Frokie, Vaporeon and Squirtle. They seem to be very playful; well all except Froakie, but their kind are known for their seriousness. Come on and say hi guys and don't worry, Misty is very nice to everyone. That is until someone irritates her, like Pikachu did!" Ash finished with a grin assuaging all the doubts of the water Pokémon. Carefully they all approached Misty.

"Pikachu will you translate, please?" Misty requested while smiling at the water Pokémon before her. "So do any of you want nick-names?"

After thinking about it for a few moments all of them shook their heads no. Froakie walked forward and stared at Misty with a scrutinizing gaze. After a couple of minutes she spoke up, _"You will do! You seem better than Damien and I can trust Angel's testimony, Ash is rarely wrong in his judgment of people. I and my fellow teammates will follow you."_ Shellos, Vaporeon and Squirtle nodded their head in agreement.

"Thank you! And I promise to take very good care of you all. I plan to become the best Water Pokémon Master, so I hope that you will help me on my journey!" Misty exclaimed in joy as her new Pokémon nodded their heads in agreement with her request.

"Alright Misty! Why don't you go and get them registered as you Pokémon by Nurse Joy?" Ash said handing Misty their pokéballs.

"Your right Ash! Alright guys let's get all of you registered under my name." Misty said leading the group of Pokémon back to the Pokémon Centre.

"Now Brock, as you are a rock type trainer, these two should be right up your alley. These are Slugma and Shuckle. Slugma will evolve into Magcargo, who is a Fire/Rock dual type. That is if Slugma wants to evolve!"

" _Of course I want to evolve! I dream to become the strongest Magcargo in history. How can I do that if I don't evolve?"_ Brock chuckled atSlugma's outburst, Pikachu translating for him.

"Hahaha… I didn't mean to offend you Slugma. So what do you think Brock?"

"I would take both of them in, even if Slugma didn't want to evolve. What kind of Pokémon Breeder will I be if I can't take care of all kinds of Pokémon? A piss poor one, that's what!" Ash just nodded his head while laughing.

"Don't worry Slugma I will make you the best of your kind. Just stick around with me. So Shuckle what about you?" Slugma just nodded his head in acceptance as Shuckle came forward.

" _I would love to join you. Damien didn't know anything about Rock types, or my kind as a matter of fact. I hope that as you aspire to become a Pokémon Breeder, you will be able to train me better."_

"Thank you for your trust Shuckle. I will do my best to come up to your level of expectations. Now how about you hand me their pokéballs Ash and I will get them registered." Ash just smiled and handed over two pokéballs to Brock, who took them and returned Shuckle and Slugma as he walked back towards the Pokémon Centre.

"Alright Ponyta, Vulpix, Dratini and Larvitar! I will be releasing you and then capturing you in my Guardian Balls. They are special pokéballs used by Aura Guardians. They have special features in them, allowing for minor healing and partial relieving of poisoning, paralyzing and burning. So are you all ready?" Ash said as all the Pokémon nodded their heads. He returned them before releasing them in flashes of blue light. After that he took out four Guardian Balls and then tapped each of them in turn. After a couple of moments of the button flashing, they settled on blank with a light ping sound.

"Well guys I think that we should give over these pokéballs to Nurse Joy before we leave. So return Blaze!" Ash pointed Blaze's ball at him and returned him in a flash of red light. "Now to have breakfast before we get back on the road. How does it sound Ferrum, Pikachu?"

" _I will eat your hat if I don't have breakfast soon Ash! You didn't even let me have a single pokéblock or poffin!"_ Pikachu complained as he floated beside Ash's head. Ferrum chuckling at Pikachu's displeasure.

* * *

Ash and his friends were walking down a dirt road, Ferrum beside them with Blaze flying above them. Pikachu training his psychic powers to help in levitation and flight, was flying beside Blaze. Both Pokémon trying to outdo the other in aerial acrobatics.

"Having fun up there you two?" Ash called out, Ferrum chuckling at the childish display of his fellow teammates. Misty just shook her head in exasperation while Brock smiled at the scene.

" _Of course we are!"_ Pikachu telepathically said. _"Now that I am strong enough to keep up prolonged flight and telepathy! This is a piece of cake!"_

"Char-charizard char!"

" _What do you mean, Speak for yourself? Don't deny that you are having fun as well!"_

" _You won't get Blaze to admit that he is having fun Pikachu. It's a Charizard thing. They always try to act as if they are serious, even if there is proof of otherwise."_ Ferrum said in a teasing tone directed at Blaze. Blaze just roared out and huffed.

As everyone was laughing at Blaze's expense, they didn't notice that they had walked onto the covering of a pitfall trap. Before they could even react; Brock, Misty and Ferrum fell into the pit. Ash barely levitated himself before he fell in.

" _Ugh! Who the hell put the pitfall trap here! When I get my paws on them…"_ Ferrum trailed off when he felt five aura signatures poking their heads from a bush. With an Aura infused Jump, he blasted out of the pit and landed behind the culprits. Pikachu and Blaze landing around the bush as well in a triangle formation.

" _So you lot are the ones who did this?"_ Pikachu asked the five blue turtle Pokémon nodded their heads, shaking in fear from the power the three Pokémon were giving off.

"You two alright?" Ash said as he levitated Brock and Misty out of the pit. "It seems we have a set of pranksters captive." Brock and Misty turned in the direction Ash pointed at and saw the group of Squirtle. All of them wearing black sunglasses, with the leader wearing pointed ones.

"Why would they do that?" Misty asked curiously.

"It's easy to guess Misty! They were probably abandoned here. This is not the native habitat for Squirtle, is it?" Brock pointed out as Ash approached the group.

"So they are taking their revenge on humans by pranking them?" Misty asked just as Officer Jenny came up on her bike.

"Is everyone alright?" Brock and Misty nodded their heads just as the leader tried to fire a **Water** **Gun** at Ash. The blast of water suddenly stopped in midair. A bluish corona of power surrounding it. A couple of moments passed as both the group of Squirtle and Officer Jenny looked on in awe as the water dissipated into a fine mist and was then blown away by the wind.

"That was not very nice you know! If I wasn't a Psychic that could have easily harmed me with the amount of force you put behind it." Ash scolded shocking the Squirtle that he didn't ordered one of his Pokémon to attack him or even used his powers to attack him. "I can understand that you are all bitter because your previous trainers abandoned you all, but causing trouble is wrong."

" _If you persist, we will have to arrest you all under the authority of the Order of Aura Guardians. If you wish, you can lodge a complaint against your previous trainers with us. We will handle them."_ Ferrum said softly. His telepathic voice carrying his sincerity.

"Squirt-squirt squirtle!"

"Then they should have handed your pokéballs to a Nurse Joy or an Officer Jenny. They would have handled your release. But you can't blame them for abandoning you lot for all the trouble you have caused. Each of them were rookie trainers, all of them chose you as their starters." As Ash explained to the Squirtle of their fault in their abandonment, Officer Jenny finally recognized who he was.

"That's Sir Ketchum, isn't he?"

"Yeah! That's Ash! Why?"

"Oh! Officer Jenny! ACKK!" Brock shouted out as Misty rammed her mallet on top of his head.

"Sorry about him! He can't control himself in front of women he finds attractive. Ash and I have already beaten most of it out of him, but it seems that we still have to continue with our lessons." Officer Jenny just sweat dropped at Misty's nonchalant answer.

"OK! I will pretend that I didn't witness that. So do you think that he will be able to make the Squirtle see reason? I really don't want them to get in trouble with the league."

"Don't worry about the Squirtle! They will see the light, just as I have…" Brock said as he suddenly stood up before trailing off in fear of the mallet Misty had in her hand.

"Squirtle! Squirt!" The leader said just as a large number of flash bombs fell down from the sky.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the starts above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Now hand over those Squirtle twerp! We have new and powerful Pokémon who are the perfect counters for your team." Jessie said as she released her Ekans, an Alolan Raticate and a Spearow. James followed releasing his Koffing, an Alolan Graveler and a Slowpoke.

"Raticate use **Bite** on Pikachu, Ekans attack Charizard with **Aqua Tail** and Spearow use **Aerial** **Ace** on Lucario!" Jessie screamed out.

"Koffing use **Sludge** **Bomb** of Pikachu, Graveler use Thunderbolt on Charizard, Slowpoke use Confusion on Lucario!" James ordered as well.

"Don't cha forget 'bout me! Eat **Swift**!" Meowth shouted out launching a large number of starts at Ash. Pikachu dodged the lump of explosive sludge and was barely able to dodge Raticate's teeth. Charizard easily dodged Ekans's water covered tail and had to use **Protect** to counter Graveler's bolt of electricity. Lucario used **Extremespeed** to dodge Spearow and approach Slowpoke with his paws covered in electricity. Meowth's **Swift** attack splashed across the **Aura** **Barrier** Ash had put up around him and the Squirtle.

"Blaze, Pikachu, Ferrum don't hold back. Attack with your full power!" Ash said as he his Aura to empower his muscles and dash towards Meowth. "Blaze hit the Pokémon with an aura infused **Blast** **Burn**! Pikachu launch a **Thunder** and **Psychic** to control it. Ferrum boost me up then use **Dark** **Pulse** on Slowpoke!" Ash commanded as Ferrum rammed his electricity infused paws into Slowpoke's snout. He turned and kneeled down with his paws ready. Ash didnt even break his stride as Ferrum boosted him into the air. He charged up a huge amount of aura in his palms. Directing the ball of aura at the Balloon, he launched the ball like a cannon.

Ferrum on the other hand charged up an orb of dark energy, purple rings spiraling around it and launched it at Slowpoke. And in the process knocking him out. Spearow took this opportunity and struck Ferrum with an **Aerial** **Ace** causing him to stumble. Before Spearow could get away, he was covered in a corona of psychic energy and rammed onto the ground, stunning him. Ferrum then used **Psychic** to grab hold of Slowpoke, Spearow and a surprised Ekans and proceeded to throw them at Graveler.

Blaze dodged another Thunderbolt as he charged up a huge amount of flames in his mouth. The normal crimson flames were now blue-white and were getting paler in color as he kept infusing aura into the fires. The group of Squirtle just watched on in awe along with Officer Jenny, Brock and Misty.

Pikachu on the other hand was giving off sparks from all over his body right before he released the pent up electric energy in a huge wave of lightning. A blue corona of power took hold of the lightning and split it up in to. Pikachu then fashioned two balls of electric energy from the electricity he caught and send them at Raticate and Koffing. Both tried to dodge, but Pikachu kept redirecting the balls in their direction, herding them towards Graveler.

Just as all five Pokémon reached Graveler, Lucario launched a **Dragon** **Pulse** from his paws while Pikachu let the balls he was wielding strike Graveler, taking him by surprise. The yellow orbs of electric energy and the wave of violet energy was joined by the pale blue-white flames Blaze launched from above. The resultant explosion created a powerful shockwave that threw all the humans and Pokémon on the ground back.

In the air, Team Rocket's Balloon exploded and caused the three villains to fall to the ground on top of their Pokémon. Their Balloon falling into the forest and exploding. Ash floated in the air as Blaze flew around him. He looked down and saw the forest catch fire from the exploding hot air balloon. "Blaze keep an eye on Team Rocket. Don't let them get away. I will organize a squad of Pokémon to handle the fires."

" _Got it Ash! Don't worry about the fools! They will rue the day they decided to confront us!"_ Blaze said as he alighted near the unconscious Team Rocket and their Pokémon. Ash teleported to Misty, Brock and Officer Jenny.

"Do any of you have water Pokémon? If the fire is left unchecked, both the forest and the town nearby will be burned down!" Jenny exclaimed in worry.

"Don't worry Officer Jenny! Misty release Staryu, Starmie, Shellos, Frokie, Vaporeon and Squirtle. Direct them to use **Water** **Gun** and **Water** **Pulse** at the place where the fire is most concentrated. Brock release all of your Pokémon that knows **Mud** - **slap**. Larvitar and them can work together and use the mud to put out the smaller fires. Squirtle all of you help out as well. I want you lot to work under my directions. Use **Water** **Gun** to put out the fires. Come on out Dratini, Vulpix and Larvitar." Misty and Brock followed Ash's orders and released the Pokémon he requested. Brock released Shuckle and directed him to follow Larvitar.

"Misty handle the fires closest to the town, Brock you take Larivitar, Shuckle, Vulpix, Dratini and Ferrum. Have Vulpix use **Powder** **Snow** and **Frost** **Breath** on all fires. Dratini can use **Icy** **Wind** and **Water** **Pulse** to put out the fires. Ferrum you use **Water** **Pulse** as well. You five follow Brock. Handle all the stray flames. Squirtle Squad follow me and Pikachu. We will be using our Psychic powers to prevent the flames from spreading. Your job will be to put them out fast. Everyone understand?" Ash got nods from all those gathered as then headed towards their assigned positions.

Misty and her water Pokémon along with Officer Jenny ran in the direction of the town while Brock and the Pokémon assigned under him started putting out all the stray fires. Ash, Pikachu and the Squirtle Squad headed towards the far end of the forest fire. Upon reaching their destination, Ash and Pikachu started glowing with a yellow corona of power as a shimmering dome of power formed around a large amount of fire.

"Squirtle! Use **Water** **Gun** at the dome. The dome will handle the drizzling of the water on the fires." Ash shouted out as he focused his concentration on pulling out as much of the air inside the dome as possible. The Squirtle followed his order and launched streams of pressurized water at the dome. To their surprise, the dome seemed to assimilate the water into itself before all the water splashed down inside the dome. The decreased air content along with the new presence of water inside the dome caused the fires to quickly extinguish themselves. Ash and his squad, working together, quickly made short work of the fires in their area. So they slowly pushed through towards the town.

"Everyone use **Water** **Gun** and concentrate your attacks at the bases of the fires. Work through one fire at a time!" Misty commanded as she pointed at the closest fires. Officer Jenny took out a walkie-talkie and ordered a general alert and evacuation to all of her subordinates.

Brock led Larvitar, Shuckle, Vulpix and Ferrum to the isolated flames and had them douse the flames with mud, snow and frosty winds. Working fast and methodically, Brock and his team of four Pokémon quickly ended the threat of the isolated fires from spreading.

Over the next hour or so, all three teams worked in tandem with each other to control and extinguish the flames. As the three teams handled the fire, Blaze along with Officer Jenny's Growlith kept a close eye on Team Rocket and their Pokémon. Just as the fires were completely extinguished, multiple police vehicles drove up to the group.

"It's alright everyone! The fires been taken care of by Sir Ketchum, his friends and the Squirtle Squad. On the other hand Officers, head in that direction and you will find a Caucasian male with blue hair, a Caucasian woman with magenta hair, a talking Meowth, a Koffing, an Ekans, an Alolan Raticate, a Spearow, an Alolan Graveler and Slowpoke being guarded by Growlith and Sir Ketchum's Charizard. Have them shipped off to the lockup while build up a case against them."

"Yes Captain!" Came the reply from all the assembled officers as the headed further up the road to make the arrests. Within half an hour, Team Rocket was confiscated of their Pokémon, while Jessie, James and Meowth were shipped off to the police lockup to await their trial. Blaze flew back to Ash and landed beside him. Many of the officers were at first afraid of Blaze, who dwarfed most Charizard, being a hulk of pure muscle and power. Seeing a chance to have fun, he growled at those who openly showcased their fear before launching a massive burst of blue and white flames high into the air.

"Don't worry everyone Blaze is just messing with all of you. It's his way of saying that there is no need to thank him." Ash said with a chuckle.

"Thank you Sir Ketchum!" Officer Jenny said bowing to the young man. "Not only have you made the Squirtle Squad see the light, you also helped protect the town and forest from the fire. I wish I could offer you more as a gift of gratitude."

"No need to thank me Jenny. I followed what my duty and morals dictated my actions should be and acted in accordance. Now I think that I have a way for the Squirtle Squad from becoming a nuisance again. How about grooming them to become the fire brigade for your town?"

"If they behave, I would love for them to become fire brigade. Will they accept?"

"Let's ask them and see, shall we?" Ash said as he turned to the Squirtle Squad.

"So guys how would you like to become the fire brigade for the nearby town? I can assure you that you will be practically free Pokémon and have freedom to do what you want, as long as that isn't causing trouble. Officer Jenny will handle will handle all matters of lodging and food." The Squirtle turned to see Jenny nod her head in agreement with Ash. "So what will it be? I can have all of you relocated to your natural habitat as well. So the choice is yours."

The Squirtle formed a quick hurdle and discussed their options to lowly for even Ash picking up on wht they were saying. After a couple of moments of discussion the leader turned to Ash.

"Squirtle squirt squirtle!"

"Are you sure?" All the Squirtle nodded their heads. "Alight then! Jenny, the leader wishes to join me. The others on the other had have decided to become the fire brigade for the town."

"That's great news Sir Ketchum! You four load up into the patrol car. They will take you to the station. I know that you don't want me to thank you, but thank you for all you have done." Ash just smiled and nodded in thanks, seeing that Officer Jenny won't listen to him before he turned to the leader. Taking out a Guardian Ball he offered it to Squirtle, who tapped his finger on the button and disappeared in a flash of red light. Without nary a blink of the button, the ball gave out a ping signifying capture.

"Come on out Squirtle and say you goodbyes to your friends!" Ash said as he released the turtle Pokémon. Squirtle quickly said his farewells before coming to stand beside Ash, Ferrum, Blaze and Pikachu. He took off his sharp edged sunglasses and placed them in his shell, revealing is beautiful brown eyes.

"Officer Jenny, we will be taking out leave now. We have a short distance left till we reach the Lighthouse that is Bill's laboratory. I plan to spend the night there before heading toward Vermillionin the morning. If any of your Cousins need help, contact me at this number." He said handing Jenny a business card before he, his Pokémon and friends left, walking down the road they were following.

* * *

Arriving at the beach, it was close to dusk and the sun was setting, coloring the seas in hues of red, orange and yellow, Ash and his friends walked to the shore. Taking off their shoes and socks, they walked out into the surf. Pikachu and Ferrum following.

"Ahhh! What a relief! I hope that we can stay rest here for a couple of days!" Misty exclaimed, hoping that her friends won't be adverse to her suggestion. Brock just nodded his head in agreement. Ash put his hand on his chin and pondered for a couple of moments.

"I think that's a good idea Misty. We can rest her for a couple of days while I train some of my newer Pokémon. Oh look a couple of Krabby!" Misty perked up more at that and turned to where Ash was pointing. She saw two Krabby on the beach, fighting over an Oran berry.

"I always wanted a Krabby!" Misty called out as she ran towards the oblivious Pokémon taking out a pokéball, "Misty calls Starmie!" and in a flash of white light her starfish like Pokémon formed in the surf.

"Starmie use **Thunderbolt** on the larger Krabby then use **Confusion** to throw it into the tree!"

"Pikachu use **Electro Ball** on the smaller one and the hold it steady with **Psychic**!" Ash mirrored Misty, as Pikachu and Starmie followed their orders and first shocked the two oblivious Krabby and then used bursts of psionic power on their targets. Ash and Misty threw a pokéball and a Guardian Ball at their intended targets and before the two Krabby even realized what happened, they were sucked into the balls in flashes of red light. After a wobbling for a couple of moments two simultaneous dings signified the success of their endeavors followed by Ash's Guardian Ball being transported to Professor Oak's.

"I finally caught a Krabby! Great job Starmie!" Misty gushed as she showered praises on her Pokémon.

"Great job Pikachu! It seems that all the reaction training is showing fruit. With a bit more training I believe that you will be able to easily react to even attacks like **Future Sight** and **Phantom Force**." Pikachu just blushed and rubbed the back of his head without saying anything.

"Hey guys! Sorry to be a party popper, but we better find some shelter. It seems that a storm is approaching!" Brock said pointing out to sea. Ash and Misty also observed the darkening sky and decided to follow the older teen's advice.

"But where should we take refuge in? I doubt there are any buildings near here!" Misty asked as Ash suddenly realized where he was.

"Guys! If I am not mistaken, Bill's Lab is near here. In the lighthouse to be exact. If we make a run for it, we should make it just as it starts raining." Brock and Misty could respond as Ash, Ferrum and Pikachu ran towards the Lighthouse. Seeing that he wasn't going to listen to them, they followed. Just as Ash predicted, it began pouring just as they reached the lighthouse. Ringing the bell, they waited for the large metal doors to open. And open they did, with nary a sound, giving Ash sand his friends their first view into the lighthouse. As soon as they entered the lighthouse, the doors closed behind them with a loud bang.

"You know that it's rude to scare your guests, right Bill?" loud laughter filled the dark room just before the lights turned on revealing a large Kabuto sitting on a throne. Misty and Brock gawked at the sight while Ash just sighed in annoyance. "Don't tell me that you accidentally transformed yourself into a Kabuto this time. I thought that you promised Maria that you will stop the crazy experiments?"

"Ah Ash? What are you talking about?" Ash just looked at Misty form the corner of his eyes before turning them back to the Kabuto.

"Don't worry about that Ash! This is just a costume. I have given up in the transformation experiments. Too dangerous to freedom. I am just unable to press the unlock button. My dear wife isn't here at the moment and I have been trapped for the whole day. My butler left on holiday a couple of days back." Ash just used his psychic powers to press the button and with a loud hissing noise the shell and the front of the costume separated revealing a handsome green haired man.

"Thank you Ash! Now how can I be of service?"

"We just need a place to stay for the couple of day while I train up my new Pokémon. Also Misty and Brock wants to relax on the beach. And where is Maria?"

"Oh she went to visit her niece Cynthia in Sinnoh. Now about relaxing and training by on the beach, I would advise that you don't. A large colony of Gyarados recently moved nearby, a hundred strong. The largest on record. They appear to attack any and all Pokémon and humans on the beach. Even dear Cherry of yours will be overwhelmed my sheer numbers." Ash nodded his head before Misty asked a question.

"Sir? When you said your wife went to visit her niece, Cynthia; did you mean Cynthia Shirona?"

"Why yes, yes I did! Are you a fan of Cynthia little lady?"

"Yes I am. She is an inspiration to all girls. Not even fifteen yet and already the Champion of Sinnoh. They say that she is the second strongest Regional Champion at the moment!" Misty gushed with stars in her eyes.

"I thought you would have been a fan of Siebold of Kalos Elite four or Wallace the champion of Hoenn. They are the epitome of Water type specialists. Or even Lorelei as she is an ice/water specialist."

"They are, but Cynthia surpassed all of them at a very young age. So you can see why I idolize her the greatest. She is barely three years older than me."

"Poor girl! She will be swamped with fan-boys and fan-girls from all over the world. Anyway don't only idolize them, follow their examples. It will help you become stronger. You want recognition as a water type specialist right. Then try to become elite level in the next couple of years. I heard that old Agatha is planning to retire in the next couple of years. If you become strong enough by then, you can apply for the vacant Elite Four position. I believe that you have the potential to become that strong."

"Really?" Misty was shocked and flattered at what Ash said. She turned to Brock and saw that he agreed with Ash's assessment of her skills. "Then I will increase my Pokémon's training. I will try to make sure that your trust in me isn't misplaced!" Misty exclaimed bowing to her two friends.

"That is the attitude needed to become the best. The same attitude I saw Cynthia adopt a couple of years ago and now look at her. She became the youngest Regional Champion! Don't let up young lady. If you keep at it, you will definitely make your dream come true." Bill said just before Ash's X-transceiver started beeping. He activated it to see the face of one of his Master Knights on the screen.

"Greetings Grandmaster! Have you reached Vermillion yet?"

"Sorry Master Kenway, but I am at Bill's Lighthouse, half-a-days walk from Vermillion. Am I needed there?"

"Yes you are, as you are the only Guardian near there. In fact you are exactly where you are needed. The giant Dragonite has been seen near there. Our sources say that a small detachment from Team Rocket is planning to capture him. He has a habit of coming to the Lighthouse."

"Thanks for the information Mathew. I can handle the rest. I will send a message after the incident is taken care of." Ash said hanging up.

"Bill does a larger than average Dragonite come here?"

"Oh he does. I give him some treats every time he comes and he allows me to study him and take physical samples. In fact he is scheduled to come here tonight. Do you want to meet him?"

"That would be splendid Bill. I will have Blaze, Ferrum and Cherry ready for Team Rocket. Dexter get ready to swap Larvitar for Cherry." Ash said taking out his Pokédex and placing it on the ground. He put Larvitar's pokéball on it and waited for Dexter to finish. In a flash, Larvitar's pokéball vanished and then in another flash, Cherry's pokéball appeared.

Everyone was enjoying the dinner Brock made, sitting at the large dining table, laughing and talking. A loud roar came from outside the lighthouse causing everyone except Bill to freeze up. They turned their heads to the window facing the sea and saw the silhouette of a massive Dragonite in the fog flowing in from the sea.

"Ah! He is here. Come and meet my friend!" with that said, Bill stood up from the table and walked out a side door and towards the cliff. After a couple of moments, Ash followed with Misty and Brock not far behind. Ferrum and Pikachu were already outside, even before their trainer stood up.

"Dragonite! The crate of treats are over there!" Bill shouted out pointing at a large crate. "But before you start munching on them, I would like to introduce you to Sir Ash Ketchum and his friends. Ash, Misty, Brock come closer! Don't worry he won't hurt you!" Misty and Brock were apprehensive as they approached Bill and the huge Dragonite. Ash on the other hand was thrilled. Ferrum and Pikachu were on the other hand reserved, yet curious.

"Hello Dragonite! It's nice to meet you." Ash bowed to Dragonite, Pikachu and Ferrum followed his example and bowed as well. After straightening up, both Pokémon started talking to Dragonite in their native language.

"Ah! Ash will you be kind enough to translate, please!" Bill asked with pleading eyes, excited to finally be able to understand Dragonite.

"Sure Bill!" Ash said before his eyes glowed a pale blue-white and suddenly Bill, Misty and Brock could understand what the three Pokémon were saying.

" _So all pseudo-legendries can live up to a couple of thousand years?"_

" _That's right Pikachu, though and being who has mastered Aura Manipulation to a very fine degree tend to live longer than their normal counterparts. Take you friend Ferrum for example. His kind normally lives for a couple of centuries, but there has been some exceptional individuals who have lived over a millennia. Didn't you ever wonder from where the legend of the White Lucario came from? They are the Lucario who have mastered Aura to such a fine degree that they have been alive for so long, their fur has become bleached white."_

"Dragonite, I would appreciate it if you will keep that information to yourself. What you just revealed is something that only the Elders of the Guardian Council, The Grandmaster and sometimes the most trusted Knights are privy to. If it became known to the wrong sort, well I shouldn't have to tell you what will happen."

"So the legends of The White Lucario appearing every thousand year is true?" Bill asked in awe, Brock and Misty staring at Ash with pleading eyes to trust them.

"Don't reveal this to anyone! The only reason I am confirming this because you already know too much. Any Lucario that passes their thousand birthday start losing the color of their fur until the fur becomes snow white. The color loss isn't due to age, but due to the sheer strength of their Aura. For any being that passes their first millennium, their Aura becomes very potent. There has been exactly twelve White Lucario, all have passed away now. Sir Aaron's Lucario will pass his first millennium in exactly two and a half years, a couple of days after the annual Guardians Festival and Tournament."

"Sir Aaron's Lucario is still alive?" Brock asked incredulously, Misty gaping at the news.

"He has already crossed his first millennium, but since he was sealed in Sir Aaron's staff, he is behind by a decade."

"If he was sealed then he should have already become a White Lucario, shouldn't he?" Bill asked curiously.

"That would have happened if he didn't have his consciousness sealed for a decade as well. Aura manipulation is directly connected to the mind. If he didn't have consciousness for a decade, his aura would have also been frozen. Now if you will excuse me, it seems that I have a job to do." Ash said as he released his Charizard and Gyarados.

" _Blaze, Cherry! We have a job to do. It seems that a small detachment from Team Rocket is planning to capture Dragonite over there. Pikachu and Ferrum will stay here and protect Dragonite. We will be heading out to sea and attack Team Rockets Boat before it reaches close enough to attack him."_ Ash said using telepathy as he floated into the air, his body covered in a corona of pale blue and yellow power. Cherry juts nodded before heading out to sea, Blaze following through the air. Ferrum and Pikachu didn't have to be told anything as they took up positions to defend Dragonite, both spreading their awareness through their powers to their maximum extent.

" _It seems that Team Rocket is ten mile out at sea. Dragonite!"_

"Draggg dragonite?" Dragonite turned to Ferrum and waited for him to speak.

" _After Ash has taken care of them, I would advise you from coming here too often. In fact if you want to keep coming here, it would be best if you arrive at random intervals. You should also refrain from coming here for a couple of years as well."_

"Ferrum is right Dragonite! It's better you don't come here for a couple of years. Team Rocket will lose your trail and after that you can return wen ever you please. Please listen to us! I don't want you getting captured by those villains!" Bill exclaimed causing Dragonite to nod his head in acceptance.

* * *

"Mam! We are exactly four miles away from the Lighthouse. Satellite imagery shows that the target is present there." A grunt said from the console. The commander, a red haired, middle aged woman nodded her head before speaking into the intercom.

"Everyone prepare yourselves! The target is close. Distraction team be ready to move out immediately. Capture team stand-by. As soon as the target is distracted, launch the net machine and the tranquilizer gas rockets. We don't have the luxury to fail."

"Yes Mam!" Came the reply from the intercoms before the grunt sitting at the console spoke up, "Mam! It seems that a Gyarados and larger than average Charizard are approaching the ship. It also seems that a small human is flying towards us with them. The boy is glowing with an aura of blue and yellow energy."

"Damn! It must be that Psychic Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum." The woman cursed, hoping that she was wrong and that of she was right, she and her men would be able to take care of him.

Ash quickly reached the ship and was hovering above it, Blaze circling it. Cherry swimming below ship. He concentrated his psychic powers before broadcasting his message using telepathy. _"Team Rocket this is your only warning! Turn back or else face my and my Pokémon's wrath!"_

"Do your best Ketchum! Team Rocket never surrenders!" The woman's voice rang out from loud speakers.

" _Then I will do what I must! Cherry take out the propellers! Blaze, take out the Pokémon. I will take out the humans!"_ Ash commanded before he rushed towards the ship, Blaze following. Under the sea, Cherry charged up a **Dragon** **Pulse** and launched it at the propellers. The azure ball of draconic energy struck true and exploded. The explosion damaged the propellers and shook up the boat causing both Pokémon and human alike to tumble.

The large Charizard flew down to the deck and proceeded to launch powerful **Flamethrowers** and **Dragonbreaths** at the offending Pokémon, knocking all of them out with ease. As Blaze handled the Pokémon on deck, Ash walked through the ship, using hypnotic suggestions to knock out any and all offenders. He quickly reached the bridge of the ship.

"So Ketchum! It seems that you were able to knock out most of my men and their Pokémon without any effort on your part. Sadly now you face me, come on out Murkrow!" The woman released a small black bird Pokémon. "Merkrow use **Dark** **Pulse** on Ketchum!" Merkrow complied and created a black orb of energy with violet rings and launched it at Ash in the form of a beam. Ash just dive out of the way and retaliated by launching an **Aura** **Sphere**. The blue ball of aura exploded on Merkrow knocking it back.

"Come on out Vulpix!" Ash said as he released his Alolan Vulpix. "Vulpix use **Frost** **Breath**!" Vulpix complied and launched out a freezing cold blast of wind that was sparkling. The blast easily struck the stunned bird Pokémon, causing it to get knocked out form the super effective attack.

"Great job Vulpix now return!" Ash turned to the red haired woman as he returned Vulpix and waved his hand in her direction. Before she could react, she was flung towards the wall and knocked out from hitting her head." Ash activated his X-transceiver and called Kenway.

"Master Kenway! Team Rocket neutralized. Inform Officer Jenny and give her the coordinates for here. The ship's propellers have been crippled and all humans and Pokémon on board are knocked out and will remain as such for the next twenty four hours."

"As you command Grandmaster! And I believe that you will be pleased to know that the new recruit, Giselle Foxx, seems to be a prodigy. In the month she has been here, she has already mastered her aura to the degree that she can understand Pokémon and has mastered **Aura** **Barrier** and **Aura** **Sight**. She has impressed Master Lucario enough for him to take her on as an apprentice."

"That's great Connor! Keep me informed of her progress! Now I better head back to Bill's Lighthouse and let everyone know that the problem has been taken care of. Take care Connor!" Ash hung up and teleported himself, Cherry and Blaze back to the cliff.

"Damn it Ash don't pop up behind me!" Misty screamed out in anger before registering the identity of the one she was scolding. "Ash! Since you are here, we can conclude that Team Rocket has been taken care of?"

"Yep! This group was very weak. Officer Jenny should be on route to the ship now. By this time tomorrow, all of them will be waking up in prison." After that Dragonite thanked Ash and proceeded to munch on the treats before heading back out to sea.

* * *

Ash and company had finally reached the outskirts of Vermillion City. The city itself was large, with a huge harbor. Their first stop was the Pokémon Centre, where they saw a young trainer hurrying in his heavily injured Rattata and handing her over to a Nurse Joy and Chansey. Ash and his friends were wondering what had happened when Nurse Joy just sighed and said to no one in particular, "Another one! This is the twenty third this week! Lt. Surge should know better than to do this to new trainers Pokémon!"

"Nurse Joy! Did you just say that Lt. Surge did that to the Rattata?" Ash asked as Misty was pinching Brock's cheek to prevent him from accosting Nurse Joy.

"That's right! He got himself a Pikachu a couple of weeks back and immediately gave it a thunderstone. The Pikachu seemed to be more powerful that most of its kind as well, so the Raichu is more so. He has been having that Raichu badly electrocute all the challengers Pokémon. Some of the poor dears had to be put in the ICU because of the severity of their injuries. Oh right! How may I help you Sir Ketchum?"

"We just need a room for the night and a check over for our Pokémon, but the checkup can be done after my gym Challenge."

"I hope that you have a Pokémon able to handle that Raichu, or else your Pokémon will suffer a lot!" Nurse Joy warned, hoping that the Aura Guardian in front of her would be able to smack some sense into Lt. Surge. "Will you please make Surge understand that heavily injuring the Pokémon of new trainers is wrong and unethical." Ash just nodded his head as he took the room keys and handed one over to Misty and the other to Brock.

* * *

Opening the door to the Gym, Ash walked in with Pikachu and Ferrum beside him. Misty and Brock following them. "I am here to Challenge Lt. Surge for the right to win a Thunder Badge!" Ash shouted out into the dark gym. They waited for a couple moments before the lights came on, revealing a large basic battle field.

"State your name and place of origin Challanger!" A woman in military fatigues asked from behind Ash, surprising Brock and Misty.

"Sir Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, Kanto!"

"Follow me Sir Ketchum, the lieutenant is finishing his lunch in his office. I will take you to him. If your friends want to, they can sit in the bleachers." Ash just shrugged and followed the woman to a door on the side of the building. Pikachu running beside him. They walked through the door and was treated to the sight of a large muscular man with blonde hair drinking water from a bottle, an empty plate beside him. A large Raichu was lazing about on cushion.

"Sir you have a challenger, Sir!" the man looked up and started at Ash with an appraising eye. His expression revealed that he was impressed with Ash till his eyes fell on Pikachu. He scoffed as he stood up and motioned for his Raichu to follow him.

"I hope that you don't plan to battle me with that baby Pokémon! If you do, then I recommend you to come again." He said walking out of the door, his Raichu following. Ash and Pikachu just frowned at the insult, but followed him nonetheless.

"This will be a one-on-one battle! First side to lose their Pokémon or forfeits, loses! Trainers release you Pokémon!' The referee, the same woman who escorted Ash to Lt. Surge said. Surge just nodded to his Raichu, who ran forward and prepared to battle. Ash on the other hand released his Vulpix. Her white fur and fluffy cloud like tails confused Surge.

"Is that an albino Vulpix?" Surge asked in shock, his Raichu nodding in agreement with is trainer.

"Not at all, Vulpix is an Alolan variant. All Alolan variants of Vulpix look like this. There are even Alolan variant of Raichu. They are Electric/Psychic dual types. Now may we start the battle?" Surge nodded his head and waited for the referee to start the match.

"BEGIN!"

Ash didn't wait for Surge to begin and ordered Vulpix to use **Agility** to get close to Raichu. Vulpix fllowed her trainers order and ran towards Raichu with streaks of white energy flowing from her body.

"Raichu use **Discharge**!" Surge ordered causing Raichu to light up like a Christmas tree releasing a large amount of electricity in his vicinity. Surge and his Raichu smirked thinking that Vulpix was done for only to be surprised when Ash called out his next order.

"Slide in with **Protect** , then use **Hypnosis**!" Vulpix obeyed and started to baseball slide on the ground with a greenish barrier around her. The barrier easily took the electric discharge without dispelling, letting Vulpix to get close enough to Raichu. Surge started to panic.

"Raichu! Get out of there!" Surge screamed. Raichu tried to follow the order and tried to turn, only to come face to face with Vulpix. Her eyes glowed releasing hypnotic rays causing Raichu's eyes to droop before Raichu fell down, completely asleep.

"Use **Moonblast** and follow it up with **Frost** **Breath**!" Ash ordered with a grin. Surge panicked and shouted at Raichu to wake up and dodge. All of his endeavors were for naught as Vulpix easily charged up an orb of pinkish-white energy and launched it the sleeping Raichu. The orb exploded on impact and caused dust to be kicked up, veiling the sight of Raichu. Vulpix didn't waste any time and charged up icy blue-white energy in her mouth before releasing a glittering wind at the veiled Raichu. The freezing wind blew away the dust unveiling Raichu. He was smarting from the explosion and the freezing cold winds, but was still rearing to go.

"Raichu use **Thunder**!" Surge shouted out in anger. Raichu screamed out in anger as well and launched a huge bolt of electricity at Vulpix.

"Vulpix use **Iron** **Tail**. Three directed at the bolt, three in the ground." Ash stated calmly. Vulpix followed her trainer's orders and surprised everyone at the outcome of the unorthodox strategy. The electricity flowed from the three upraised tails to the ground through the grounded tails, leaving Vulpix completely safe. Surge and Raichu just gawked at Vulpix, who revealed a fanged grin. "Now use **Hail** and follow it up with **Blizzard**!" Vulpix glowed with an icy blue light and it started to hail inside the building, hiding her from sight.

"Raichu use **Discharge** full power!" Raichu complied and flooded most of the field with electricity before he flinched from a few sharp hailstones bombarding his body. "I doubt you Vulpix came out of that completely unharmed!"

"Vulpix has the ability Snow Cloak. It increases her evasion in a hailstorm. Now Vulpix!" Before Surge or Raichu could react, a large blast of freezing wind with a massive number of sharp ice shards and snowflakes came out of the storm and struck Raichu, causing him to cry out in pain. Before too long, ice had formed on parts of Raichu's body as he fell down unconscious.

"Raichu is unable to battle, the winner is Vulpix and Sir Ketchum!" The referee called out as the hail storm cleared up and vanished. Surge walked forward and picked up Raichu in his arms.

"That was a great battle kid. Mara get the kid his Thunder Badge! I am going to take Raichu to the Pokémon Centre!" Surge said as he walked out of the Gym. The Referee came forward and presented a cushion holding the octagonal gem like orange badge with yellow triangle petals.

"Alright we got the Thunder Badge!" Ash said raising the badge above his head, Pikachu, Ferrum and Vulpix roaring in approval.


	7. Chapter 6 - What a Surprise

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – What a Surprise!**

Ash, Brock and Misty with Pikachu riding on Ash's shoulder were walking across a large bridge in Vermillion City when they saw a large Luxury Ocean Liner with the name St. Anne painter on its bow. Brock just let out a long whistle while Misty sighed.

"Wish I could ride on one of those!"

"You want to ride on one of those? Then it's your lucky day Misty! The Ketchum's own the company that owns the St. Anne." Ash exclaimed causing Misty to look at him with excitement.

"Really Ash? Can we you really get us on board?" Brock just shook his head in exasperation before perking up in excitement as well.

"Of course! If I am not mistaken, the St. Anne plans to set sail this evening and stop at Porta Vista for a week. We can catch a ride to Porta Vista. From there we take a ferry back to the mainland Kanto and then Saffron is only a couple of days walk away. Is that alright with you guys?" Misty just nodded her head in acceptance.

"How long will it take to reach Porta Vista Ash?" Ash turned to look at Brock before saying, "We will reach it the morning, four days from the time the ship sets sail. So let's board the ship before it leaves." Ash ran towards the ramp with Misty, Brock and Pikachu running behind him.

* * *

"Right this way sir!" A large sailor said as he escorted Ash and his friends to the captain's cabin. "Captain! This kid says that his family owns the company and requested that we take him and his friends to Porta Vista!"

An old man with white hair and mustache looked up from some charts and examined the trio of kids with a critical eye. After a couple of minutes of silence, he smiled. "Welcome aboard Sir Ketchum! I must say, you look just like you father looked at your age. How is Queen Melisa?"

"It's nice to finally meet you Captain Jameson! And I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Aunt Melisa passed away about a month after my tenth birthday. It seems that she had brain cancer and didn't tell me or Ilene. Only mom and her personal attendant, Layla, knew." said Ash with a sad sigh. Misty and Brock just put their hands on his shoulders and squeezed while Pikachu nuzzled Ash's cheek.

"I am sorry to hear that. I still remember her as the spoiled five-year-old princess riding on the St. Marisa. I was a new Captain then."

"So it's true? You were a friend of my grandfather?"

"Yes I was. Old Ashura was a good man and an even greater Guardian. If I am not mistaken he and his wife, your grandmother Jenny, died out of heart break after your father sacrificed himself. Now how about Lyon over there show you to the Owners Suite. I still have some work to finish."

"Of course Captain! Inform me when you are free. I would like to hear stories about gramps. I heard that you had a lot of adventures with him!" Jameson smiled before shaking his head.

"I would love to tell you about Ashura, Ash. I can tell you a lot about Richard as well, being his godfather and all. Join me for dinner at my table tonight. Oh right! Sorry I forgot to introduce myself, the names Dylan Jameson. The captain of St. Anne."

"I am Misty Waterflower!"

"And I am Brock Stone!"

"Nice to meet your acquaintance! And Ash, there is going to be a battle competition tomorrow at noon with a mystery gift as the prize. You should participate!" The captain called out as the door closed behind the teens.

* * *

"Everyone welcome to the monthly St. Anne Battle Competition! This time, the winner will get a Mystery Egg, a box of Evolution Stones containing exactly ten pieces of each stone and an Aggronite. The Mega Stone required to Mega Evolve Aggron!" said the announcer getting cheers from the crowd. "There are sixteen entrants this time so we will have four rounds. This will be a one-on-one battle with Mega Evolution not allowed unless both Pokémon has the ability to Mega Evolve. Now for the first match of the first round!"

The announcer started declaring the names of the entrants and the battles began. Ash and his friends were sitting in an adjacent room and waited for their names to be called. After six matches, Misty and Brock were called out.

"And now for our next match, we have Misty Waterflower, one of the Gym leaders of The Cerulean City Pokémon Gym, on the green side. On the red side, we have Brock Stone, the former Gym Leader of Pewter City Pokémon Gym!" said the announcer as Misty and Brock took their places on the battlefield. It was a standard regulation synthetic field. The crowd cheered in expectation of a great match.

"Are both trainers ready?" Misty and Brock nodded their heads to the Referee before taking out their pokéballs. Without prompting, both threw their pokéballs and released their chosen Pokémon. A Squirtle appeared on Misty's behalf while Brock had summoned Slugma. "BEGIN!"

"Squirtle use **Water** **Gun**!" Squirtle launched a jet of pressurized water at Slugma who waited for his trainers command.

"Counter with **Incinerate** and then use **Clear** **Smog**!" Brock called out calmly. Slugma launched a swath of crimson flames that easily vaporized the water filling the battlefield with steam. As the steam started to dissipate, Slugma launched a large amount of pressurized white smoke at Squirtle.

"Squirtle use **Rapid Spin** to blow the steam and smoke away!" Squirtle tucked in her head, arms, legs and tail into her shell and started rotating at a fast speed, easily blowing away the steam and smoke. "Now use **Water Gun**!"

" **Protect**!" The stream of pressurized water splashed on a green shield formed around Slugma. "Now use **Toxic**!" Slugma launched a glob of purple poison at Squirtle, who was unable to dodge as she was out of breath. Squirtle glowed purple for a moment before she winced as the poison took its toll on her.

"No Squirtle! Quickly use **Aura** **Sphere**!" The poisoned turtle barely got her hands together and generated a blue sphere in between them and threw it at the surprised Slugma. The sphere exploded sending Slugma back a little while Squirtle winced as she was covered in a purple glow with purple electricity and purple bubbles were flowing over her body.

"Slugma finish it with **Ancient** **Power**!" Slugma easily shook of the pain from the **Aura Sphere** and created a white glowing sphere of rock type energy and launched it at the wincing Squirtle.

"Squirtle get out of there!" Misty called out in frustration as Squirtle looked up only to be hit by Slugma's attack causing a lot of smoke obscure the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. When the smoke from the previous attack cleared, Squirtle could be seen lying face down with swirls as eyes.

"There you have it Ladies and Gentlemen! Winner of the match six is Brock Stone and his Slugma!" The announcer declared as Brock returned Slugma while Misty picked up Squirtle.

"You did well for your first battle with me Squirtle. Now eat up and rest!" said Misty, giving the barely conscious Squirtle a pecha berry. Squirtle slowly munched on it and swallowed, causing her to feel a bit refreshed as the pecha berry neutralized the poison in her.

"Great Battle Misty! I was surprised when Squirtle used **Aura Sphere** , but is Squirtle alright?"

"Don't worry Brock and thanks. Ash's battle is next; you better get back to the waiting area." Brock nodded and headed off to the side room as Misty made her way to the Nurse Joy sitting behind a counter at the side.

"And here you are folks the final battle of the first round! The participants are; in the red corner, Sir Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, Kanto and in the green corner, Emeric Thorton from the Kalos Region." said the announcer as Ash and his opponent walked out of the room. Ash carefully observed the teen in front of him. From the expensive suit and the jewel studded pokéball, Ash easily deduced that the man was from a wealthy family and from the sneer gracing the face of his opponent, he could easily tell that Emeric was arrogant and spoilt.

"Well commoner be honored to lose to me!" the teen exclaimed with a haughty attitude. "You aren't even worthy to be in my presence!" Laughter resounded from the main door to the arena.

"Mr. Thorton you should be careful of who you insult. That young man in front of you has more clout in the world than even Professor Oak." Everyone turned to see the Captain leaning on the doorframe.

"Be careful Captain! You have no right to talk to me that way. I will make it a point to lodge a complaint with the owners of Aura Co. about your behavior." said Thorton with a sniff.

"Then you can personally do it right now as one of the three owners of the company is your opponent." The captain said, laughing.

"I don't find this funny Captain!" Thorton exclaimed in anger, "This commoner doesn't look like he is rich enough to own the company!"

"Oh I assure you that he is one of the three owners. His cousin Queen Eileen Ketchum of Rota handles all civilian related family matters, while Sir Ketchum handles the military matters, being the Grandmaster of the Aura Guardian Order. The males of the line have always handled the military and Pokémon related matters while the eldest female takes up the throne. You are lucky that young Ash doesn't ban you and your family from using any Aura Co. amenities. Ash humble this kid will you. He has been a thorn at my side for the whole length of his journey." Thorton became pale as he realized his mistake.

"Sure Captain! Now Mr. Thorton be ready to be humiliated. By calling me a commoner, you have insulted my lineage. You have insulted some of the most legendary Aura Guardians in history and you have insulted the Royal line of Rota. That is something I will not let slide. Referee start the match!"

"Both trainers release your Pokémon!" Thorton fumbled with the jewel encrusted pokéball and released a powerful looking Chespin. Ash calmly released a Froakie, the same one his friend Serena had sent over.

"BEGIN!" The Referee called out yet neither side called out an attack. After a couple of moments, Thorton started to laugh.

"You may be Royalty, a knight and Grandmaster of the Order, but you made a rookie mistake in choosing a Froakie. Grass triumphs over Water kid, prepare to lose! Chespin use **Pin Missile**!" The Spiny Nut Pokémon's spine started glowing green before multiple glowing pins launched at the Bubble Frog Pokémon.

" **Protect** _and then_ _ **Icy Wind**_ _!"_ the glowing pins exploded on the green shield Froakie had formed causing smoke to obscure the little frog.

"Chespin charge up a **Solar** **Beam**!" As Chespin was collecting solar energy, he was hit by a mass of freezing air with sparkling ice crystals in them. Thorton's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected attack. "Keep collecting the energy! That's a foul! He didn't command Froakie to attack!"

"There are no rules that prevent Pokémon from taking the initiative in a battle!" said the Referee in a monotone, obviously experienced in handling others like Thorton.

"Froakie finish it off with a **Bounce**!" Ash's calm tone surprised Thorton as Froakie suddenly leapt up in the air and crashed down on Chespin, who was still collecting energy, knocking him out.

"Winner Sir Ash Ketchum and his Froakie!" Ash didn't wait for Thorton to realize that he had already lost and walked towards the waiting room, Froakie following him.

* * *

"Now our first match of the second round is between Princess Salvia of Sinnoh and Sir Ketchum of Pallet Town, Kanto. Are both trainers ready?" Salvia just nodded with a smile gracing her face as she raised her pokéball and released a Togepi. Ash followed Salvia's cue and took out his Guardian Ball as well and released Larvitar. "BEGIN!"

"Long time no see Sir Ketchum. Let's have a great battle shall we. Togepi use **Yawn**!" said Salvia with a smile. Togepi just yawned releasing a cloud of fast moving gas at Larvitar.

"Sure thing Princess! Larvitar use **Sandstorm**." Larvitar followed Ash's command and conjured up a strong sandstorm, hiding her from view. The gas from the **Yawn** attack was easily swallowed up by the sandstorm and negated. "Now use **Dragon** **Dance**!" said Ash surprising everyone at his command. From within the storm, a reddish-black glow formed a silhouette of Larvitar.

"Togepi don't let Larvitar power up, use **Hyper** **Voice**!" Togepi shouted out launching a visible wavefront of sound at Larvitar, which easily penetrated the sandstorm. The resultant scream from Larvitar caused Salvia's smile to brighten as her hope in winning the match increased.

"Larvitar finish this off with **Iron** **Head** powered up by **Double-Edge**." Ash commanded calmly surprising Salvia. Before she or her Togepi could even react, Larvitar charged out from the center of the sandstorm, her body glowing with a white aura while her head was glowing with a silvery sheen of **Iron** **Head**. She collided with Togepi and launched her out of the sandstorm covered in bruises. Larvitar's visage could be seen panting as the sandstorm dissipated. Salvia's smile turned to a frown at the turn of events.

"Togepi is unable…" The Referee started to say when Togepi was covered in a corona of white light and her body morphed into the form of a Togetic. She grew a neck and wings as her eggshell vanished, revealing the egg shaped body.

"Great job Togetic! Now use **Magical** **Leaf**!" Salvia exclaimed in joy as hope returned to her, but her joy was quickly replaced by worry when the swath of rainbow colored leaves splashed on Larvitar's body, which was glowing a silvery white.

"Great job on unlocking **Iron** **Defense** Larvitar. Now finish it off with **Ancient** **Power**!" said Ash while Larvitar smirked at the praise from her trainer. Conjuring up balls of glowing white boulders, Larvitar rapidly launched them at Togetic, who was trying her best to dodge the barrage, only to be clipped by some. Showing impressive dexterity and aerial maneuvering for a newly evolved Pokémon, Togetic was able to dodge most of the boulders but the previous injuries and the excessive energy she used in dodging left her short of breath. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to defeat her opponent, she started swinging her arms in a rhythmic pattern from side to side as they glowed white.

"Larvitar get ready! She is using **Metronome**. It can turn out to be anything."

"Tar!" said Larvitar with an upraised thumb as she prepared to react. Togetic started to glow white before she exploded using the **Explosion** attack. Larvitar was just barely able to jump back out of the worst of the blast, her body glowing with the silvery sheen of **Iron Defense**."

"Togetic is unable to battle! The winner is Sir Ketchum and his Larvitar!" said the Referee as he raised the green flag just as Larvitar started to glow with the light of evolution. Within the bright light, Larvitar's body grew and morphed into a cocoon shape. As the light faded, there sat a large blue cocoon made of rock like material with large eyes.

"Pupi-pupitar!" she called out with glee, her eyes shining with joy.

"Great job Pupitar. Now have a good rest girl," said Ash returning the happy Pokémon.

"Great Battle Sir Ketchum! If you are in Sinnoh in the future, do drop by for visit." Salvia said returning her Togetic and holding out her hand to him.

"Thank you, milady! I will be sure to remember your invitation when I am in Sinnoh. One can't forget an invitation from such a beautiful lady, a princess to boot." Ash said kissing the knuckles causing her to blush. She just nodded her head and walked over to the bleachers with as much poise and dignity she could in her flustered state.

After a match between a Metagross using Steven Stone form Hoenn and the Carbink using Jason Stockhome from Kalos. Steven easily won the battle moving onto the next semi-finals.

"Now for the third match of the second round, welcome Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City and Rick O'Connell from Sinnoh."

"Are both trainers ready?" asked the Referee as both nodded and raised their pokéball containing hands and released a pink Shellos and a blue Shellos. "Then begin!"

"Shellos use **Water** **Pulse**!" Rick called out only to be confused when Misty smirked at him and allowed her Shellos to be struck by the attack. His confusion quickly cleared up when he saw that her Shellos didn't even flinch at the impact, instead it glowed with a blue aura for a brief moment.

"Shellos has Storm Drain as her ability. Water type moves strengthen her. Now Shellos use **Sludge** attack!" As commanded the pink Shellos launched a glob of toxic sludge at the other Shellos, who was unable to dodge and was struck directly in the face. Purple blotches formed on her skin signifying that the blue Shellos was poisoned.

"Now use **Hidden** **Power**!" The pink Shellos formed a bunch of yellow orbs around her before launching them at the poisoned blue Shellos.

"Shellos use **Water** **Pulse**!" Rick called out in desperation. Shellos followed his master's command and started to form the orb of water, only to wince from the poison as purple electricity flew over his body. Unable to counter the **Hidden Power** , he was struck by the yellow orbs and fainted from the shock he felt.

"W-what? H-how?" Rick stammered out as the Referee declared the match in Misty and her Shellos's favor.

"Simple, Shellos's **Hidden Power** is Electric type. Your Shellos seems to have little endurance to its disadvantage type attacks and fainted from the shock he got along with the poison. Rick just nodded his head in understanding but held a stony face as he walked away.

* * *

"For the second semi-final please welcome Sir Ketchum of Kanto and Miss Phelps of Unova." The announcer declared too much cheers from crowd.

"Are both trainers ready?" both Ash and Mary nodded their heads before releasing Midori and an Emboar respectively. "BEGIN!"

"Midori you know the drill! General Combo 3!" Ash called out and in quick succession Midori used **Attract** , **Glare** , **Coil** and then used **Agility** to rapidly approach her enemy and then struck the infatuated and paralyzed Emboar with a powerful **Aqua Tail** directly in the face causing the poor pig to fall over.

"Now **Aerial Ace**!" jumping into the air, Midori's body became covered in blue-white energy as she rammed into the lying boar knocking him out without much trouble.

"Emboar is unable to battle, the winner is Sir Ketchum and his Serperior!" The Referee called out raising the green flag.

"Don't let the battle psych you out. I raised Midori from her egg. She was a determined Snivy and would put all of her effort into training. This is the result of her determination. She also has the habit to quickly putting down her opponents, special those who have a type advantage against her," said Ash with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I-I see! And that command Combo 3 is a pre-defined combo?" Phelps asked with curiosity. "And you have raised her well. I have seen very few Serperior as healthy and strong as yours. My complements to your prowess in raising Pokémon."

" _Thank you for the compliment. Ash is a wonderful trainer and friend,"_ a female voice resounded through the minds of everyone.

"WHAT? WHO?"

"Don't worry, that's just Midori thanking you. She rarely uses telepathy to communicate with strangers. So do Blaze and Cherry now that I think of it." Midori waved her tail at Phelps causing her to stare in wonder at the Pokémon. "We better let the next battle commence. No need to hold up everyone. If you have any questions, meet me and my friends at the owner's suite on the top deck," said Ash as he returned Midori and left. Phelps followed his advice and returned her Emboar. Then she headed over to Nurse Joy.

"The next battle is between Miss Waterflower of Kanto and Mr. Stone from Hoenn. Are both trainers ready?" asked the Referee to which he got nods as they released their Pokémon. Misty released Starmie while Steven Stone released his Metagross. "BEGIN!"

"Starmie use **Reflect Type**!" Misty called out. Starmie followed her command and caused Metagross to glow with a rainbow colored light. "Now Starmie use **Signal Beam**!" Starmie created a ball of pink colored energy in front of its jewel and then launched a beam of similar energy at Metagross.

"Metagross use **Iron Defense** then counter with **Agility** into **Hammer Arm**!" Misty didn't have any time to react as Metagross easily withstood the **Signal Beam** and then rammed into Starmie at high speed with a glowing arm.

"Starmie use **Recover**!" Starmie started to glow with green energy when Steven called out his next attack.

"Finish it off with **Earthquake** ," he said with an air of indifference. Misty realized too late that Starmie was in extreme danger due to the use of **Reflect Type** when the shockwaves from Metagross hitting the deck hit it knocking it out.

"Starmie is unable to battle, the winner is Mr. Stone and his Metagross."

"That was a good try Miss Waterflower, but you doomed yourself when you changed the type of your Starmie to reflect Metagross's. Yet your try was admirable. You were badly outmatched and you did all that you could to even the odds. You have the potential to become an Elite trainer if you gather a more varied team and polish up your strategies. And don't take you loss to hard. Let me introduce myself, I am Steven Stone. The former Hoenn Regional Champion. I recently lost my title to the water master Wallace." Misty nodded her head before returning Starmie and walked towards where Brock was sitting in the stands.

* * *

"Finally the finals of the St. Anne Battle Competition between Sir Ash Ketchum of Kanto and the former Hoenn Champion Steven Stone. Are both trainers ready?" Ash and Steven didn't say anything and released their respective Pokémon. Ash released Cherry, his beloved Shiny Gyarados and Steven released his Metagross. "BEGIN!"

"Steven I must ask, is Metagross your starter?"

"Why yes he is. Why do you ask Ash?"

"And I remember you having a Metagrosite. Cherry is my starter. She joined me four years ago. Recently I got my hands on a Gyaradosite and both of us are itching to give it a field test. What do you say?"

"I think that is a wonderful idea Ash."

"Then shall we?" Though Ash posed it as a question, there was no doubt in everyone's mind that it was a statement of fact. Without saying anything, Steven took out a necklace with a keystone on it. Ash raised his hand to his hat and touched the black stone imbedded in it. Within moments, both Pokémon were covered in the light of evolution. When they cleared, both Pokémon looked more intimidating.

Cherry had developed a large fin on her back and her whiskers lengthened and her upper body bulked up more. Metagross had become nearly twice his original size and the cross on his face changed to golden and grew larger. A large spike had grown from the lower face and all four arms were now forward facing. His color had also lightened a bit.

"Look at that everyone a showdown between Mega's. This will be an epic battle!" The announcer called out with excitement.

"Metagross start with **Miracle Eye**!" Metagross's eyes glowed an eerie purple as Cherry also glowed with similar light.

"Be careful Cherry! Psychic attacks will work on you now. Start out with a **Dark Pulse** ," said Ash. Cherry created a ball of black energy with purple rings revolving around it and then launched a beam of the same energy and rings at Mega Metagross.

" **Iron Defense** then **Agility** into **Hammer Arm**!" said Steven, Ash calmly looked on as he used his telepathy to give Cherry her next set of commands. Mega Metagross easily withstood the super effective attack and proceeded to hit Cherry with a glowing arm only for Cherry to vanish in a puff of smoke.

"Now Cherry!" Ash called out as Cherry bit down on Mega Metagross with a **Crunch** attack and then flung the surprised Pokémon into the deck. Following that, she struck her tail into the ground creating powerful shockwaves, causing Mega Metagross to cry out in pain.

"Metagross use **Psychic** to throw Gyarados onto the deck then follow up with an **Agility** enforced **Zen Headbutt**!" Metagross's eyes glowed pale bluish-white as a similar aura formed around Cherry. Though Cherry struggled, Mega Metagross's psychic hold was too strong to break.

"Cherry use **Counter Shield**!" said Ash confusing everyone with that command. Being rammed into the deck stunned her preventing her from effectively defending against the follow up attack, but she was able to put up use **Twister** around herself as a weak **Counter Shield**. The powerful winds easily soaked up most of the power behind Mega Metagross's attack but it still caused Cherry to flinch. "Now use **Hydro Pump** to push Mega Metagross away from you and follow up with the Sky Burst Combo!"

"Metagross be ready for anything!" Steven exclaimed as his Mega Metagross was easily pushed back the powerful jet of pressurized water. Mega Metagross dodged the **Fire Blast** that came its way and turned back towards Cherry only to see her jump into the air and start to rapidly launch Fire Blasts. Mega Metagross was able to dodge some of the star shaped blasts of fire but the others easily crashed into it, causing it to cry out.

"Metagross use **Hyper Beam**!" Steven called out in frustration. Panting from exertion and pain, Mega Metagross turned towards the airborne Cherry only for her to crash down on him with the massive orange and purple ball of energy of a **Giga Impact**. Everyone waited with bated breath for the smoke of the previous attack to clear. As the smoke cleared, to everyone's surprise, Mega Metagross was still awake, glowing with the silvery sheen of **Iron Defense** , barely awake. Cherry was no better, panting from the heavy exertion.

"Well Ash, it seems that both your Mega Gyarados and my Mega Metagross are on their last legs. One from exhaustion and the other from injuries. How about we end this with one final attack?" asked Steven with a smile on his face.

"Sure Steven. This battle showed me that other than Cherry, my other Pokémon aren't still Champion level. Cherry is barely Champion level. I and my Pokémon have more training to do to before they become capable enough to take on Lance. You would have easily won this if this was a full six-on-six battle. Cherry use **Outrage**!"

"Metagross you use **Agility** enforced **Hammer Arm**!" the two behemoths collided in the center of the field on the top deck. Cherry decked in a violent draconic aura while all four of Mega Metagross's arms were glowing as it moved at high speed. After a momentary power struggle, an explosion rocked the battlefield causing smoke and dust to cloud the battling Pokémon. When the smoke finally cleared, Mega Metagross had reverted back to Metagross, knocked out. Cherry could be seen panting trying to catch her breath while lying on the deck.

"As Mega Gyarados is still awake and Metagross in unconscious, the winner is Sir Ash Ketchum and his Mega Gyarados!" said the Referee raising the red flag causing all the spectators to cheer out.

"Great match Ash. Haven't had such a difficult match since Wallace and you didn't really have a type advantage till we megavolved our Pokémon. Even then, Mega Metagross's high physical offence along with the ability Tough Claw could have made short work of you Mega Gyarados. Good work not panicking. Also that **Counter Shield** is a good attack," said Steven as he returned Metagross. Ash following his lead and returning Cherry.

"Yeah! It has both defensive and offensive capabilities. She used her weakest **Counter Shield** to tell you the truth. Her normal ones against physical attacks are usually Whirlpool combined with **Thunder Wave** or **Thunderbolt** and against special and long ranged physical attacks, **Twister** or **Whirlpool** combined with **Ice Beam**. There are innumerable combinations for the creation of **Counter Shield**." Steven nodded his head in understanding as both shook their hands before walking to the stage at the side. Misty joining them for third place.

* * *

"Here you are Sir Ketchum! The Mystery Egg and the Aggronite." The announcer said as he handed an incubator containing a blue-violet egg and a polished silver stone containing a white and silver helical core. Turning to Steven, he handed over a box containing an evolution stone set. To Misty he gave a collection of coupons proclaiming a year's supply of vitamins and minerals. All three took their winnings and walked out of the room.

"Damn I wanted an Aggronite. Been looking for one for a long time too!" sighed Steven catching Ash, Misty and Brock's attention.

"So Steven, you have been searching for an Aggronite?" asked Ash conversationally drawing Steven out from his depressed thoughts. He stared then blinked before responding. "Yeah! I have been searching for one for some time already. I have found and donated any non-steel type mega stones to Professor Sycamore and worthy trainers. At the moment I have a Pidgeotite, a Garchopmite, a Blastoisinite and an extra Steelixite. Now that I think about it, Misty, you have a Squirtle right. Why don't you take the Blastoisinite and Brock you come from the Pewter Gym so you must an Onix? If you are planning to evolve it, you can take the Steelixite." Misty and Brock just nodded in shock at Stevens offer.

"I can trade you the Aggronite for the Garchompite. This egg contains a Gible and I don't plan on getting one of the Aron evolutionary line soon anyway. The Garchompite will be of more use sooner that the Aggronite." Ash offered holding out the polished Aggronite to Steven. Steven just observe Ash for a few moments before he nodded his head in acquiescence before taking the Aggronite.

"Meet me at my room. It's in the VIP section, Room #33 after dinner. I left the other mega stones there," said Steven before he headed off to his room.

"Why don't you join us for lunch in the Owners suite?" Ash called causing Steven to look back and then nod his head in acceptance of the invitation.

"Congratulations Sir Ketchum! I didn't expect Cherry and Midori to have grown so strong. You have raised all of them well. So your Pupitar was a new Pokémon?" asked an angelic voice from behind causing Misty and Brock to jump and turn only to come face to face with Ash's opponent from the second round, Princess Salvia.

"Thank you, milady! To what do we owe the pleasure of your exalted presence?" asked Ash with a deep bow causing Salvia to giggle.

"You haven't change at all except getting smoother, have you Ash? It's quite surprising how well you flatter a girl without even trying." Ash laughed at Salvia's proclamation causing confusion to Brock and Misty.

"It's nice to see you again as well Salvia. How have you been?" Salvia smiled grew causing Brock and Misty to look at each other as their confusion grew. The same thoughts floating in their head, 'They have met before? How? When?'

"Oh right! Salvia these are my friends Brock Stone and Misty Waterflower and this is Pikachu."

" _Hi!"_

"Guys this is Princess Salvia of Sinnoh. She is also an old friend," said Ash clearing up some of the questions floating about their heads.

"Nice to meet you, milady!" said Brock with his usual exuberant personality while Misty said it with more dignity.

" _Nice to meet you!"_ Pikachu greeted telepathically.

"Nice to meet you as well Brock, Misty, Pikachu. Just call me Salvia. Any friend of Ash is a friend of mine. Old Nestor was saying that both of you were Gym Leaders?" asked Salvia hesitantly getting nods of from the two. "Then can I ask you a favor? Well Brock the favor as Misty didn't see my battle."

"Sure thing Salvia!" said Brock causing Salvia to smile broadly.

"How well did I really battle? I really don't take that much pleasure in Pokémon Battles. I am more interested in Pokémon Contests, but still my battle skills may save me some day so I ask."

"I would say that you had a possible good strategy but Ash, being the battle savant he is, easily dismantled it and then forced you into reacting. Even as surprised as you were, you were able to push Larvitar enough and if she hadn't unlocked the Egg Move **Iron Defense** she would have probably lost. The **Metronome** was a risky gambit that lost you the match. If it came out as some other attack, maybe **Hyper Beam** or **Earthquake** then you could have won. All in all, I would say that you did fine for a novice battler," explained Brock with a sage like tone of voice.

"How did you know I was a novice?" asked Salvia in surprise.

"There was you, nervous while asking of the analysis and your own admission that you don't like battling much," said Brock with casual nonchalance.

"Oh! You have good observation skills. I thought I hid my nervousness well," said Salvia with a surprised expression adorning her face.

"Brock raised his nine younger siblings himself, so he had to be observant to be able to meet all of their needs without being asked!" Ash suddenly exclaimed.

"Anyway Salvia! Why don't you join us for lunch in the owner's suite? Captain Jameson and Steven Stone will be there as well."

"I will see if that is ok with old Withers, but I don't see why he would refuse. If he does, I will let you know. Bye Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu!" said Salvia moving away from them.

"BYE!" the three humans called out while Pikachu just nodded his head.

* * *

Three days after the tournament ended, the St. Anne finally docked at Porta Vista. While they were at sea, a massive storm nearly caused the ship to be capsized and would have been if Ash and Pikachu along with all the Psychic Type Pokémon on-board the ship didn't connect their minds together and used their combined Psychic powers to keep the ship stable throughout the storm, that lasted for nearly six hours. After the storm dissipated, all the Psychic Pokémon along with Ash and Pikachu were left extremely exhausted, so they all fell asleep for most of the remaining journey.

"How are you feeling Ash and Pikachu?" Ash and Pikachu turned and saw Captain Jameson standing behind him as he was about walk down the gangplank.

"We have been better. Stabilizing such a large ship for such a long time is really exhausting. It was good that we had help. Don't worry about me Captain. I better get moving the summer festival at Maidens Peak is in three days and I want to make it to city of Hutber Port by tomorrow. I plan to spend some time relaxing at the festival, so I want to catch the ferry that leaves from there in the evening."

"Sure thing Ash, but I must tell you that you are more like Asura that Richard in your behavior. Have fun at the festival Ash. Also I heard rumors that a woman named Nastina is trying to build a Five Star Resort on a coral reef and has been having problems with the Pokémon living there." Jameson said in a conspiratorial whisper. Ash and Pikachu just nodded their heads before walking down the plank.

"What took you so long Ash?" asked Misty with a frown on her face. Brock started at Ash with barely concealed curiosity.

"We better head to Hutber Port as soon as possible. Jameson gave me some information that needs investigating. If he is right, then there is a woman trying to destroy the home of many water Pokémon for the creation of a Five Star Resort. I need to get the proof to put an end to the operation." Misty and Brock saw the serious expression on Ash and Pikachu's faces and nodded their heads.

"Then what are we waiting around for? We have many Water Pokémon to save!" exclaimed Misty as she proceeded to drag Ash and Brock with her towards the path leading to Hutber Town.

* * *

Ash, Pikachu, Ferrum, Misty and Brock were walking down the Pier as they entered the town of Hutber Port. As they were walking Misty looked to the waters of the port only to see a pair of Horsea floating near the concrete walls of the pier creating badly drawn images of Tentacool on the surfs using the ink they secrete.

"Hey Ash!"

"Yeah Misty?" Ash looked at Misty only to find her looking at the two Horsea. One of them was larger than average and was frantically drawing images of Tentacool. The smaller, normal sized one had a black eye while the larger one had a few bruises showing through his light blue scales.

"Do you two need help?" Ash addressed the two Horsea startling them. The smaller one hid behind the larger one. The larger one on the other hand got into a fighting stance. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you two. We just want to help. I promise!" The two Horsea stared at Ash for a few minutes before cautiously approaching the group. Ash picked up the larger one, while Misty picked up the smaller one. Both took the potions Brock offered and started spraying it on the wounds after warning their charges of the inevitable stinging sensation that came with the application of the potions.

"There all better. I hope you two don't get into more fights?" Misty said smiling at the two Horsea causing them to nod their heads in agreement.

" _Thank you for the help! I wish you could understand us so we could tell you about that nasty human destroying the home of the Tentacool. They are going to rampage soon."_ The large one said thinking that he wouldn't be understood. To his surprise Ash nodded his head before saying, "Thank you! Now I have enough evidence to start an official investigation against the one who is doing this."

Both Horsea looked startled that Ash understood the larger Horsea. _"Did you just understand my brother?"_ The smaller Horsea asked, her eyes large in astonishment. The larger one just started at Ash with large eyes. Ash just nodded his head while Pikachu brought Misty and Brock up to date with what they were saying.

" _Ash is both a Master Aura Guardian and a powerful Psychic. I myself am a powerful Psychic, so all of us can understand what you are saying."_ Pikachu broadcasted to both the humans and Pokémon. _"The big lug over there can also communicate telepathically to translate for humans!"_ Both Horsea turned to stare at Ferrum who just gave them a cheeky smirk and wave of his paw.

" _You two should stay clear of the Tentacool till all of this is cleared up! Father how about you send out Cherry and some of the other Pokémon that can survive in water keep the Tentacool under control, before they do something drastic."_

"You are right Ferrum!" Ash exclaimed just as a large boat exploded causing the sailors to be thrown into the sea. "Cherry, Krabby, Froakie, Dratini and Squirtle help them out and keep the Tentacool from attacking anyone else!"

"Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, Shellos, Frokie, Vaporeon and Squirtle! You guys help out as well!" Misty ordered as she let out all of her Pokémon.

"Gyarados my friend, help out as well!" called out an unfamiliar voice as a large male Gyarados burst out of surfs and headed out to help Cherry and the other Pokémon save the sailors. Everyone turned to see a blond haired young man standing on the next pier in the uniform of a Pokémon Ranger.

The appearance of two Gyarados caused panic to surface in the minds of the capsized sailors, causing them to try and swim away from the two gargantuan sea snakes. _"Relax! We mean you no harm! We are here to help all of you back to shore!"_ Cherry said with her own telepathy causing the struggling sailors to relax. _"You and the others help them get to shore. I and Dratini will be seeing to it that the Tentacool don't bother you!"_ Cherry said to everyone there as she and Dratini swam off towards the school of Tentacool with a large Tentacruel in the middle.

"Cruel-cruel Tenat-cruel!" the Tentacruel said hotly as Cherry and Dratini approached them.

" _BE SILENT! I can understand that you are enraged at what is happening to you homes, but the Order is handling the situation. If you keep acting as you have been, we will be forced to protect the innocent from you rampages as well! That means that we will be forced to beat you into submission and then forcefully relocate you away from here. That isn't something I or the Grand Master wants. Don't force our hands!"_

"Cru-cruel! Tentacruel!" the leader said before they all drifted off towards the reefs. A few minutes later Cherry and Dratini burst out of the water between tow piers.

"How did it go Cherry?"

" _Better than we hoped!"_ exclaimed Cherry with a happy roar, _"They will do as asked until they are attacked. Then they will retaliate, no matter what we ask of them."_

"Well we can't really expect them to not retaliate if they are attacked, can we?" Ash asked to no one in particular, but still got nods from everyone there. Ash turned to the Blonde Ranger and introduced himself and his companions.

"It's nice to finally meet you Grand Master! The names Jack Walker, but just call me Jackie. Top Ranger and Aura Adept assigned to investigate the rumors about this place." The Ranger introduced himself with a large grin.

"Nice to meet you as well Adept Walker. Why don't you join us? I am investigating as well. We should pool our resources." Ash said as he returned all of his Pokémon with a telepathic thank you and walked off with Pikachu on his shoulder and Ferrum beside him. Misty, Brock and Jackie followed him till they saw the two Horsea following as well.

"Don't worry you two! The Tentacool should have calmed down by now, so you should be safe for the moment."

" _No Guardian I wish to join you on your journey just as my sister wants to join you red haired companion!"_ The larger Horsea said surprising Ash and Jackie. "If that is what you want!" both Horsea frantically nodded their heads affirming their decision causing Ash to take out a Guardian Ball and gently touch it to the larger Horsea. He then motioned for Misty to do the same with the smaller one.

* * *

"Miss Nastina Howard you are hereby under arrest for the violation of the Water Pokémon Ecosystem Protection Act, Section 3, Sub-section 3A, Paragraph 4. You have knowingly tried to construct a Resort without proper plans to protect the Ecosystem near the construction site. What more you tried to make unauthorized changes to the plan of the Resort to include the reefs as well and when the Pokémon attacked, you ordered their extermination. You have the right to remain silent as any and everything you say may be used against you in a court of law." The old woman was surprised to see Ash saying all of this before she just laughed at him.

"Go away boy! Then Nastina may buy you a lollypop. Isn't Nastina generous?"

"Officer it seems that Miss Howard doesn't believe me, why don't you just cuff her and take her away. Dexter send all the proof to Sir Brunner. He will take care of it being received by the proper authorities." Ash said as Officer Jenny cuffed Nastina.

 _All documents have been received by Sir Brunner._

"Thank you Dexter!" An explosion drew everyone's attention towards the construction sight to see a massive Tentacruel with a horde of normal sized Tentacool heading towards the city. "What the hell happened?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Grandmaster!" Jackie looked just as bewildered as everyone. "If I am not mistaken, there weren't any Tentacruel that size near here. Where did he come from?"

"Open up your senses Adept, then you will realize what happened." Following Ash's advice, Jackie felt out with his aura only to recoil in disgust. Everyone offered a curious glance at Jackie's expression before turning back to the approaching behemoth. "Do you see now?"

"Yes Grandmaster. Luckily this is only temporary and he will revert back soon, but we have to prevent it from harming the innocents!" The exclamation caused everyone to jump in surprise. "Everyone, release your Pokémon to delay the Tentacool! I will try and calm them down with my capture styler!" Everyone followed Jackie towards the pier leaving only Ash behind.

"Cherry, Rainbow, Ferrum and Pikachu, we will be delaying Tentacruel until the effects of the chemicals have passed. Cherry go mega!" Cherry nodded before she was surrounded by a rainbow colored orb of light and when it faded, everyone saw her in her mega form. "Rainbow put up a sunny day and then follow up with grass and psychic attacks! Pikachu, you and I will be using our psychic powers to hold Tentacruel in place. Ferrum its time you use **Aura Force** , but don't overextend yourself. Got it?"

" _Yes Father!"_

"Then let's get going!" said Ash as he teleported himself and his Pokémon near to Tentacruel.

* * *

"Come on out everyone!" Misty exclaimed as she released all of her Pokémon and in flashes of white light her Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, Pink Shellos, Froakie, Vaporeon and Squirtle appeared. Brock wasn't far behind her and released Zubat along with Ash's Bulbasaur, Charmander, Krabby, Froakie, Dratini, Larvitar, Squirtle and Horsea.

"Everyone herd the Tentacool away from the city and group them up so that I can calm them down!" Jackie ordered, getting nods from every Pokémon there. Soon the whole pier was alight with a vast variety of attacks flying through the air towards the enraged Tentacool.

* * *

The enraged jellyfish like Pokémon didn't have time to react before it found itself immobilized under the combined psychic hold of Ash and Pikachu, with Ferrum using his Aura to emulate telekinesis using **Aura Force**. Pikachu was glowing with a nimbus of bluish-white psychic energy while Ferrum was surrounded in a halo of sapphire blue energy. Ash on the other hand was glowing with a mixture of yellow and sapphire blue energy flowing around him. Tentacruel, on the other hand, was glowing in a mixed halo of yellow and blue light, unable to even twitch one of his tentacles.

" _TAKE THIS!"_ Cherry called out as she released a massive **Thunder** attack causing Tentacruel to light up with a golden halo of electric energy.

" _Don't count me out!_ _ **SOLARBEAM**_ _!"_ Rainbow called out as the Ho-oh launched out a massive yellow green beam of grass type solar energy. The two attacks from the two Pokémon caused a massive explosion to occur around Tentacruel, obscuring his form in smoke.

* * *

"Arceus! They aren't holding anything back!" said Officer Jenny with amazement at the massive explosion. Everyone turned to see the smoke dissipate only to reveal a slightly bruised Tentacruel. A Tentacruel which was now able to partially escape the telekinetic hold it was in. "How does anyone defeat a creature such as that? Those massive attacks barely bruised it!"

As Ash and his Pokémon battled Tentacruel, Jackie was frantically calming down the Tentacool. He had succeeded mostly, leaving only the strongest and most enraged ones left.

"Jackie! Look out!" Misty called out only for Jackie to duck jump back from the **Poison Sting** attack and retaliate with an **Aura Sphere**. "Wow! Even Jackie can use **Aura Sphere**!"

"Well Ash did say that you only become an Adept when you can use Aura to attack and defend. Jackie is an Adept you know!" said Brock with matter-of-factly tone.

"OH MY! That's one massive **Sludge Bomb** ," said Nurse Joy drawing everyone's attention to the glowing and massive ball of white purple sludge.

* * *

"Shit! Scatter everyone!" exclaimed Ash as Pikachu teleported out of the way of the. Ash on the other hand started glowing with a halo of rainbow energy before launching an equally massive pulse of aura in a sphere around him. As soon as the rainbow colored shockwave struck the Sludge Bomb, it easily absorbed the latter into itself before proceeding to ram into Tentacruel and explode.

" _You alright Ash?"_

"I am fine Cherry. I only used **Aura Augment** for a small fraction of the time I can safely hold it. I just need some time to catch my breath after using such a massive amount of Aura in such a short amount of time."

" _ASH!"_ Pikachu called out as he flew towards Ash with Rainbow not far behind him. _"Ash are you alright? Don't do something crazy like that! Angel would be depressed if anything happened to you!"_ Ash just chucked at Pikachu's scolding with Cherry and Rainbow looking on with amusement. A massive roar caused Ash and his team to turn towards Tentacruel only to see him still raring to go, even though he was heavily damaged.

"You three keep him distracted and away from me, I think I know a way to take him down for good." Cherry didn't say anything, instead she rapidly swam towards the Tentacruel with a massive aura of purple energy with spiraling strands of orange covering her. She rammed into Tentacuel with all the subtle force of a meteor, causing Tentacruel to try and hit cherry with a **Poison Jab**. Just as the purple ominously glowing tentacle was about to hit Cherry, it was deflected by a massive telekinetic shove from Pikachu. As Tentacruel was about to strike Pikachu with a **Water Pulse** , he was distracted by **Sacred Fire** attack from Rainbow.

* * *

"What is Ash doing out there?" Brock asked, which caused everyone except Jackie to shake their heads in negative.

"I think he is trying to collect up a massive amount of psychic energy. For what purpose, that I don't know!" Jackie's explained only for Rainbow to finally be caught off guard by a **Water Pulse** directly to the belly. As Rainbow fell towards the water, Pikachu teleported beside her and then teleported her to the pier to rest.

" _CHERRY! PIKACHU! GET YOU OF THERE!"_ Ash called out telepathically before he proceeded to launch a massive beam of psychic energy at Tentacruel. Luckily for Cherry, Pikachu had easily teleported himself and her out of harm's way. The massive beam easily engulfed Tentacruel and exploded. When the smoke cleared, everyone saw Tentacruel knocked out and shrinking back to his original size. They saw Ash float up to Tentacruel and then capture him in a Guardian Ball.

* * *

"Thank you for capturing that Tentacruel Sir Ketchum! Also you Ranger Walker. If both of weren't here, the whole city would have been destroyed due to Nastina's actions. We, the people of this city, are in your debt!" exclaimed the Mayor of Hutber Port. The majority of the city's inhabitants and the Mayor were bowing before Ash and his friends, who was accompanied by Jackie at the Pier. They were waiting for the boat back to the mainland, when the Mayor and the townspeople appeared before them.

"We were just doing our job Mayor! There is no need to thank us. Hopefully within the decade, there will be more Aura Guardians roaming about the world, rectifying the situation caused by greedy people and Pokémon." Jackie nodded his head in agreement before he also said that such situations wouldn't happen if the people didn't let greedy and cruel people do whatever they want in their town. After the townspeople left, Ash and his group boarded the small ferry and left for Maiden's Peak.

* * *

"Grandmaster? May I ask a question?"

"You just did, but you may ask another one!"

"Why did you capture Tentacruel?" asked Jackie with confusion, much to Ash's amusement.

"Yeah Ash! I have been wondering as well. Why did you capture the Tentacruel?" Misty looked on as Ash stared at Jackie before he turned to her and Brock, who was waiting to hear Ash's answer as well.

"Simple really! Tentacruel was enraged. If I left him there, he would have rallied the other Tentacool into attacking again and without provocation. Cherry had also warned him that rampaging would have him relocated, but I think he would make an excellent addition to my team. After he and Rainbow were healed up, I had a nice chat with him. He was hostile at first, but chose to remain under me instead of being relocated to a new territory," said Ash with a cheerful expression on his face.

"Was he really so enraged, that he would have continued to attack without provocation?" Ash turned to Brock before nodding his head in affirmative.

"Anyway Grandmaster! It was nice meeting you, but I will be in my cabin taking a nap. Using a couple of Aura based techniques took a lot out of me. I will see you when we dock before I have to return to the Ranger Union HQ… near Mt. Silver." Jackie explained with a huge yawn at the end.

"Have a nice nap Jackie and you need to train in using Aura techniques more, if only a couple could tire you out like this." Jackie nodded his head before leaving the deck with Ash, Misty and Brock watching his back. Pikachu on the other hand was inside Ash's backpack, having a nap after the morning's excitement.

* * *

"Wow the woman depicted in that statue is really beautiful!"

"That woman is the reason this place is called Maiden's Peak. Her betrothed went away to war and never returned. She was the younger sister Queen Rin. At that time our families weren't yet connected by marriage, but her betrothed was a member of the Ketchum family. If I am not mistaken, he was the nephew of Sir Aaron. Though most Ketchum's tended to be Aura Guardians, he didn't inherit a very strong Aura, so he decided to join the army of a neighboring Kingdom. Out of respect, we don't speak their names. The news of his death came too late, and by then the Maiden's own Aura had transformed her into stone. It seems that she was determined to wait forever for her beloved." Ash explained as they approached statue. Ash knelt down before he took out a pale blue crystal pendant, inscribed with an archaic K, and infused it with his Aura. He placed it between her clasped hands and backed away. As they were about to turn away, a beautiful woman walked out of the statue.

"It's been a long time since a Guardian has come to visit me and a powerful one at that. You remind me of my Ashura, young one. May I ask you for your name?" asked the woman surprising Brock, Misty, Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum.

"I am Ash Ketchum milady! I came to pay homage to you and my ancestor. I don't know if you know, but our families were joined as you both wanted in your youth, through the marriage of your niece Melina and your fiancée's cousin Harold."

"That pleases me greatly, to know that our families are joined together. I remember the last time I saw them both, they were but just babes. Tell me, who is the present Queen?" the woman said with a beautiful smile.

"My cousin Ilene is the present Queen, not even a year into her rule. My aunt passed away recently at a very young age after ailing for some time. I and Ilene didn't know till it was too late." Ash sighed with sadness at the thought of his late aunt.

"Poor child. It must be hard for her to rule so young and without the advice of her mother to guide her. Do you still have your grandmother?"

"No, Queen Esmera died long before Ilene or I were born. It has been nice to meet you, milady, but we must get to the Pokémon Center to get rooms for the night. I shall come by tomorrow and speak with you." The maiden nodded he read in acceptance before she started to fade back into the statue, when she realized that her statue was clasping a glowing crystal pendant.

"Ash why have you given me your Soul Pendant?" the maiden asked with confusion.

"That is not my pendant, milady. That belonged to your beloved. It was recovered by Sir Harold's grandson and has been kept hanging under the portrait of both of you. I and Ilene accidentally discovered that your beloved had sealed a portion of his soul into the crystal so that he would be able to return to you, even in death. I have just reunited you with him. It's what is expected of me, is it not?"

"Yes it is and thank you. Now may I ask a favor of you?"

"It would be an honor, milady!" the maiden smiled before pointing to the pendant.

"Then transfer my soul into it as well, so that I may be with my beloved. After that, take the pendant with you and return it to Cameran Palace. We wish to finally return home together." Ash gave a sad smile before nodding his head in acceptance of the request.

"If that is what you wish milday. I will do as you ask." Ash prepared to transfer the soul to the crystal when a Haunter appeared with a black ball of energy, which was giving off static charges, between its hands.

"What are you doing to Lady Elladora human?" The Haunter asked with a menacing glare.

"Peace Haunter. My sister's descendant is doing as I asked of him. He has finally reunited me with my beloved Ashura. Look closely at the pendant." Haunter did as he was asked and stared at the pendant, scrutinizing it before his eyes widened to comical proportions.

"That is master's Soul Pendant. How did you come across it human?" Ash didn't answer, instead he put his hands into his jacket and brought up a similar looking pendant with a similar archaic K inscribed into it, glowing with a pale green light.

"You are a Ketchum!" It wasn't a question; it was a statement of fact. "Now that think about it, you do look very similar to master and Sir Aaron. Though I see features of the Richards Clan as well. Also I must ask, is your Aura more biased to healing? I haven't seen a green glow outside healers of the clan."

"My mother was a Richards before she married my father. And the crystal is glowing green because it had been infused with both my Aura and Psychic energy."

"Oh my, I didn't expect to hear that a Ketchum married to a Richards. They have been at each other's throats for as long as I knew. My how things change with time."

"The feud would have continued if my grandfather Ketchum hadn't risked his life to save my grandfather Richards. They were young barely older than me and the feud had already culled most of both clans, leaving only them and their parents alive, along with Queen Esmera. That caused them to become friends, thought their parents didn't approve of it. They became practically brothers, so it wasn't surprising that mother and father were able to get married without interference, though they still did it in secret."

"How many Ketchum's and Richards are really left?"

"Two Ketchum by birth, one by marriage and three Richards by birth and one by marriage. If you count mom as both a Richards and Ketchum." The maiden nodded with a sad smile.

"Haunter! You have protected me all these centuries just as Ashura asked. Now I ask that you join young Ash and guide him with your ancient wisdom. Ash now please reunite me with Ashura." Haunter nodded his head in acceptance with tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Let me prepare the technique milady. It will only be a moment," explained Ash as took the pendant and then placed his palm on the statue, directly above the heart. His palms glowed with blue aura before the maiden's spirit faded from view the crystal glowed with a white light. After a blinding flash, the crystal settled into glowing with a pale bluish-white aura. "There it's done, now they can be together forever."

" _Thank you for reuniting us young Ash. Lead the Order back to its days of glory. And Haunter…"_

"Master, but how?"

" _The amount of Aura Ash has supplied to the crystal is allowing me to talk to you for a very small amount of time so listen closely. You have accomplished your assigned quest. I ask that you journey with Ash and guide him, for even though he is wise beyond his age, you have centuries of experience to draw from. Help the present Grandmaster of the Order bring it back to its days of glory. I am proud of you, old friend and don't get into a fight with Uncle Aaron's Lucario again and keep well my friend. May the Aura be with you!"_

"It's so nice to talk to you again after so long master. You may rest in peace, for I will guide young Ash and join him on his journey as his Pokémon."

" _That's all I ask of you my friend. Goodbye!"_

"Goodbye master. May you and lady Elladora be blessed by Arceus to be together for eternity." Haunter was crying with joy and sadness as he turned to Ash.

"I would be honored to have you on my team Haunter. Your experience will be invaluable as will be your council." Ash said as he took out a Guardian ball and held it up to Haunter. Haunter just allowed himself to caught without a fight.

"Now how about we get to the Pokémon Center and sleep? We have the whole day to rest and have fun at the festival tomorrow!" Ash asked to which Misty and Brock nodded their heads in agreement. Ash they were walking towards the Pokémon Centre, Ash put Ashura's pendant back into his backpack for safe keeping.

"Ash, I have been meaning to ask, but I always forget. How are you the Grandmaster of the Order. Aren't you a bit young?"

"Yeah Ash! I have also been wondering."

"The Grandmaster is chosen by their skills in the manipulation of Aura and their wisdom. I have better manipulation skills than Sir Brunner, Sir Kenway and Sir Reed. Sir Kenway is wiser than me, that is true, but since Mew chose me, I became the Grandmaster. Her wisdom is greater than our own, so she must have seen something in me to pick me as the Grandmaster."

"So even if you have the skills and the wisdom, Mew may not choose you to be the Grandmaster?"

"That's right Brock. Skills and wisdom are necessary but what Mew looks for is the Grandmasters heart, or at least that is what I believe. Until now, the other masters and knights had allowed the Order to wane. Ever since I became the Grandmaster, we have been working hard to reestablish the former glory of the Order."

"Thanks for telling us Ash. I was just curious." Brock nodded his head in agreement before yawning.

"Let's hurry and get to bed. We have a festival to visit and have fun in tomorrow. And where there is a festival, there are girls!" Brock exclaimed with glee only to be smacked in the head my Misty's mallet. Then Misty proceeded to drag Brock by his leg, causing Pikachu, Ferrum and Ash to laugh.


	8. Chapter 7 - An Aromatic Achievement

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – An Aromatic Achievement!**

"Finally! Now I can get a proper shower!" Misty exclaimed as the group walked into Saffron City. Ash and Brock just smiled at her childish exclamation and walked towards the Pokémon Centre. Entering the large establishment, they were greeted by Nurse Joy.

"Hey Nurse Joy! Long time no see."

"Nice to see you as well Ash. You here to challenge Sabrina?" Nurse Joy asked as she took the groups Pokémon.

"Yep!"

"Then I hope that neither of your Pokémon won't be in critical condition after the battle?" though Nurse Joy posed it as a question, Ash didn't doubt that it was a warning.

"We will try, but it will depend on the Pokémon, really. Anyway, we will pick up our Pokémon in the evening. Till then Nurse Joy!"

"Have a nice day Ash and friends!" Nurse Joy replied as she and Chancy took all the Pokémon and pokéballs to the back. As they walked out of Pokémon Center, Misty asked about the warning Nurse Joy gave. Ash replied that Cherry and Sabrina's Alakazam, at that time a Magikarp and Abra respectively, were vicious rivals and used to overdo it every time they battled.

"Cherry was always a feisty one, even as a Magikarp. Though she is now much mellowed out, she still has that feistiness, which comes out during a major battle. Now guys welcome to the Saffron City Gym!" Ash said just as a bald man walked out of the doors, staring intently at a spoon. "Hey Jones! How have you been?"

Jones was startled by the sudden exclamation and looked up to see Ash grinning at him. He frowned for a moment before smiling. "It's nice to see you as well Ash! If you are here for a battle, you are out of luck. Recently a girl came through here with a Pumkaboo, a Kirlia and an Amaura. They were monsters and left Kadabra, Espeon and Executor in critical condition. She only has Abra and Slowpoke on hand."

"How are they?" Ash, Misty and Brock had worried expressions on their faces, while Ferrum and Pikachu just shook their heads in shock.

"Nurse Joy said they will be fine by tomorrow, so you can challenge her then. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"That's alright. I was planning to challenge her tomorrow anyway. You still haven't got the hang of using your psychic powers while moving, have you?"

"You and Sabrina make it look so easy! I can barely get the spoon to bend!" Jones lamented, tears making an appearance on the older man's face. Misty and Brock sweat dropped at the man's actions, while Pikachu and Ferrum snickered.

"Then we shall leave you to your… um… training, shall we?" Ash motioned for his friends and Pokémon to follow him as he gave off an exasperated sigh. After walking into the residential area of the Gym, Ash was tackled by the green-haired beauty. Brock and Misty got a good look at her and saw her wearing a red qipao dress with a stars embroidered in pale blue. She was wearing red flats and maroon slacks. Her hair was cascading across her back like a waterfall. Ash returned the hug before teleporting out of her grip. "Nice to see you as well Sab! You look beautiful! Been on a date?"

Sabrina flushed bright red before using a blast of psychic energy to try and throw Ash in indignation. "For your information, with an emotionless face, this look tends to give me the appearance of an indifferent and untouchable goddess. That tends to unnerve my challengers. Good to see you guys as well, Misty, Brock."

"Good to see you as well Sabrina!" Sabrina smiled at Brock before turning to Misty. "Hi! How has being a Gym Leader treating you?"

"Till date out of twenty-seven challengers only two have defeated me and earned the Marsh badge. I am proud to say that even dad hadn't had such a good track record!" Sabrina exclaimed with pride. Ash just chuckled at her exuberant behavior before turning to the door at the end of the hallway. "Really Uncle! You know better than to try and hide from my senses!" A muffled curse was heard before a man suddenly appeared in front of the door.

"Damned Aura! Nice to see you as well Ash. Been having fun on you journey?"

"You know it, but the incident at Porta Vista was a bit irritating. And also, I really didn't use my AuraSight to find you Uncle. You let loose a few psychic waves that I picked up. Slipping up because of age old man!"

"Damn! I didn't pick up on those waves!"

"Then you are too relaxed at home Sab! Always scan for even minute disturbances. We aren't the only ones with power you know!" Sabrina just shot Ash a glare before picking up Pikachu from his shoulder. "And how have you been Pikachu!"

" _Follow me you three! I am planning a prank on Mr. I-am-full-of-myself. Don't seem too eager to follow me, or he will become suspicious."_ Sabrina said to Brock, Misty and Ferrum. "Why don't you three tell me what trouble the hardheaded idiot has gotten into over a cup of tea!" Misty, Brock and Ferrum put on their best confused and surprised expression and followed Sabrina through the door and into the lounge.

" _She has some prank planned for you! You better be ready Ash, or she will humiliate you!"_ Jim projected to Ash before he walked through the door. Ash tried to walk in but hit an invisible barrier. Giggling and chuckling floated out through the door. He looked at the source to find Sabrina, Misty, Brock, Pikachu and Ferrum laughing at him. "Very funny Sabrina! **Barrier** won't stop me from entering!" as Ash said this, suddenly he flickered before the barrier shattered and he was standing inside the door.

"You have learned how to use **Feint** , haven't you?" Sabrina said with an accusing tone before sighing. "That's to be expected of you. You like to take everyone by surprise." Sabrina said just before she smirked. Before Ash could even react, he was doused in freezing cold water.

"Sabrina!"

"Hey Mom!" Sabrina said with nervousness, afraid of her mother's scolding.

"As much as I like practical jokes, wetting the carpet is crossing a line. Clean it up the old fashioned way as well!" Sabrina just nodded her head and went to get a bucket and a cloth. "You alright Ash?"

"Don't worry about me Aunt Julia. I am just fine!" Ash said as his eyes glowed before the water on him suddenly evaporated.

"Then why don't you show your friends to the guestrooms and then wash up. Its nearly time for lunch. Introductions can wait for later and you two can have your battle tomorrow. I don't know if you know, but…"

"Jones already told us about her loss. It's surprising to hear Alakazam was put into critical condition. He is an elite class Pokémon."

"All of her challenger's Pokémon were also elite class. That girl, Diantha is as sly as she is unorthodox. Her Kirlia fought in a very different way than most Psychic types fight. Anyway wash up and come to the dining room. We can talk over lunch."

"Alright Aunt Julia! Come on you two. I will show you the way." Ash as he walked towards a side door with Misty and Brock following him.

* * *

"Hey Serena! How have you been?" Sabrina said snatching the X-transceiver from Ash.

"Hey! I was talking to her you know!" Serena and Sabrina just laughed at Ash's indignant outburst before ignoring him. "Been fine Sabrina. Fennekin is so adorable and powerful. She is also trying to learn **Psychic** and was born knowing **Heat** **Wave** and **Hypnosis**. How will I help her learn **Psychic**?"

"You have to have her meditate and focus her mental energies on an object and lift it. This is the basis of telekinesis and the base for all advanced psychic powers. **Psychic** is a glorified telekinesis ability. Nothing more."

"Thanks for the help Sabrina. So Ash how is Froakie doing?"

"He is doing fine with me. It seems that he didn't like weak trainers, and considered most rookies as weak. He is already close to evolving and should by the next month."

"Hey Ash! The egg is glowing! ASH!"

"Huh! Oh! The egg is hatching!" Ash exclaimed just as Misty, Brock and his Uncle Jim ran into the room. "Everyone back away from the egg. The newborn has to see me first to imprint on me." Ash took the egg out of the incubator and held it on his lap with everyone looking on form the door. After a couple of minutes, the egg glowed with blinding light before settling down and reveling a small shark like Pokémon.

"Hello little guy! I am your daddy!" Ash said as the newborn looked up at him. After staring for a couple of moments, the small shark jumped onto his head and lightly bit down. Taking out Dexter he activated the scan function and waited for Dexter to reveal the young Pokémon's information.

* * *

 _Name: Gible_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Type: Dragon/Ground_

 _Ability: Sand Veil – Sand Veil raises the ability-bearer's evasion by 20% in a sandstorm. It also gives immunity to sandstorm damage._

 _Attack:_ _ **Tackle, Sand Attack, Iron Head(Egg), Dragon Breath(Egg), Twister(Egg), Metal Claw(Egg)**_

* * *

"Wow little guy, you are strong! I think I will call you Ryuujin little one! Welcome to the family Ryuujin!" Ash said hugging the little dragon Pokémon. After a couple of moments, Misty, Brock, Sabrina and Jim walked closer, with Pikachu and Ferrum leading them.

"He is so cute!" Misty, Sabrina and Serena cooed while Brock and Jim examined Gible with a critical eye. After a couple of minutes both looked at each other before nodding their heads in agreement. "You took care of his egg well! I won't be surprised if he ends up as one of the strongest of his kind."

" _Father did raise Midori, Blaze and I and I may be biased, but I will say that I feel as if I am the strongest of my kind. I am sure Blaze would agree."_

"Why not Midori?" Brock asked looking over at Ferrum.

" _Simple, she is too modest to accept that she is one of the strongest of her species though she will agree that father raised us well."_

"What is Ferrum saying? I can't understand him, since I am not close enough!" Serena groused in irritation. After apologizing, Sabrina explained what Ferrum said. "I agree with Ferrum. Ash has raised them well. I still remember them as the adorable trio of Riolu, Charmander and Snivy. Always following Ash around the house. Blaze was a shy one. I am still surprised to learn that he lost his shyness when he evolved."

As everyone talked among themselves, Ash used his Aura to scan Ryuujin for any deformities and injuries. After being satisfied that he was just fine, Ash smiled and initiated the Aura bond. With all the excitement after his birth, Ryuujn fell asleep in Ash's arms. "Ferrum can you keep an eye on Ryuujin while I have dinner?"

" _Of course father! Leave him to me."_ Ferrum said taking the little dragon into his arms and sitting down on his bed. Pikachu floating beside his head, observing Ryuujin closely. Everyone then left to have dinner.

* * *

"So Ash you ready?"

"As ready as I will ever be, so bring it on!"

"This will be a one on one battle between the Gym Leader Sabrina Richards and the Challenger Sir Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Trainers release your Pokémon!" Jones called out and waited for the two to release their Pokémon.

"Kadabra its finally time!" She said as she released Kadabra. Ash examined Kadabra and saw that he was close to evolving.

"Come on out Haunter!" Ash said releasing his ancestors Haunter.

"That I one powerful Haunter Ash! Where did you get him?"

"He was one of my ancestors. He guarded the statue of the Maiden at Maiden's Peak. He joined me after his previous purpose became void. So shall we start?"

"Let the battle begin!" Jones called out for the referee's stand.

" _Kadabra use_ _ **Psybeam**_ _!"_ Kadabra launched a powerful beam of rainbow colored psychic energy at Haunter only for it to be countered by an equally powerful **Nightshade** attack.

" _Haunter fade out and attack with_ _ **Phantom Force**_ _!"_

" _Prepare to_ _ **Teleport**_ _at the slightest hint of an attack."_ Kadabra spread out his mind trying to find Haunter only to get tackled by Hunter who was enshrouded in a shadowy energy cloak.

* * *

"Are both of them using telepathy?"

"That's right Misty. Thoughts can communicate at a faster rate than verbal communication. It happens in a split of a second. Both of them are giving it their all. This will be a very fast paced battle." Julie explained as they watched Kadabra trying to teleport out only of Haunter to use **Disable** on the move.

Kadabra used a **Reflect** to deflect Haunter's **Shadow** **Ball** before he started glowing with a white light.

"STAY ON GUARD HAUNTER! KADABRA CAN GIVE MOST ALAKAZAM A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY! EVOLUTION WILL PUT HIM ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL!"

Haunter just tensely waited and was able to dodge the barrage of **Psycho Cuts** launched his way. As the light of evolution faded, in place of Kadabra, a powerful looking Alakazam stood.

"Great job Alakazam! Now let's take it up a notch!" No one heard Sabrina's next telepathic command but Alakazam rushed towards Haunter with a fist covered inflames only to swing his flame covered spoon and launched a bright red **Psycho Cut**.

* * *

" _Take it Haunter and then counter with_ _ **Payback**_ _. Afterwards, when Alakazam is disoriented, use Toxic-shock combo and end it with_ _ **Façade**_ _."_ Haunter didn't give any indication he heard Ash's commands, but braced himself. As soon as the flaming blade of psychic energy struck him, his fist glowed with pitch black energy, which he proceeded to ram into Alakazam's gut. Dazed, Alakazam was unable to react to the purple sludge that struck him on the face. His body glowed purple with purple lightning flowing over his form causing Alakazam to fall onto his knees.

"Alakazam try and dodge!" Sabrina screamed out in frustration only for Alakazam to look up and be doused in purple-green fluid that caused massive amounts of damage to Alakazam. Everyone could see that Alakazam was on his last legs when he was tackled by Haunter glowing with a rough yellow aura. That was the final straw and Alakazam fell face first into the ground knocked out.

"Alakazam is unable to battle. The winner is Sir Ketchum and his Haunter!" Jones called out only of Haunter to glow and then evolve into Gengar. "Great job Gengar!"

"Thanks! It was fun to finally battle again after such a long time. Protection duty is so boring!" Everyone chuckled at Gengar's proclamation as Sabrina returned Alakazam and walked over to Ash with a cushion upon which was a badge with two concentric golden circles.

"Congratulations Ash! As proof of you defeating the Saffron City Pokémon Gym, here is your Marsh Badge." Sabrina said offering the badge. Ash took the badge and placed it in his badge case.

"Now that the stuffy formalities have been observed! I will get you back for this humiliating loss!" Ash just chucked before hugging Sabrina.

"I will remember to be on guard the next time we meet! Well let's have Alakazam and Gengar looked over by Nurse Joy. It was nice to see you again everyone but we have to head out soon. Brunner send me some information that I need to investigate."

"What do you need to investigate Ash?"

"It seems that Team Rocket may have set up a base of operations in Celadon City. I plan to destroy the base, if it's there. I am meeting up with Lance and Lorelei to handle the situation within a week."

"Lorelei!" Misty exclaimed with surprise. "But why is she coming!"

"The Regional Champion and the Elite Four's primary job is to handle situations such as this and Lance created the Pokémon G-men, so it isn't a surprise that he is involved."

"How are you so nonchalant! Lance Wataru is the Champion of Kanto and Johto! And Lorelei is a premier Ice/Water Specialist!"

"Lorelei is actually an Ice Specialist. Also Lance isn't the Kanto Champion. There hasn't been a Champion since the previous champion, Blue Oak, Gary's dad died in that awful car crash. Lance being the strongest of the Elite Four has taken over as Temporary Champion till someone defeats him. Till now, no one has been able to get past Bruno." Without another word, Ash returned Gengar and teleported out with Sabrina following him.

"I wish they would stop doing that!" Julie exclaimed with a sigh. "Why do they abuse their powers like that, I will never know."

* * *

"Your aunt and uncle were nice Ash. Especially your Aunt!" Misty gushed with stars in her eyes. Brock just shook his head I exasperation. Ever since, Julie gave Misty some advice on how to nullify type advantages for her water types, Misty had been acting as a fangirl.

"Well Aunt Julie was once a researcher. Her PhD was on Pokémon types and type advantages. Too bad she has stopped her research. Her analysis on the Fairy type would have been invaluable." Brock and Misty nodded their heads in agreement.

As the group walked on with Pikachu lounging on Ash's backpack, Ryuujin sleeping in Ash's arms and Ferrum playing with an **Aura Sphere** , Brock looked up and saw that it was close to midday. "Hey guys! How about we take a rest and have lunch! Julie gave me a massive box of Onigiri and Sandwiches!" Brock didn't need to repeat what he said as, as soon as Ash and Pikachu heard him, they were already laying a picnic blanket some little ways off the road they were walking down.

" _It's quite amusing to see them moving so fast whenever food is mentioned. The only other times they move that fast are during battles and spars."_ Ferrum said looking down at the sleeping dragon nestled in his paws. _"I didn't even realize when father handed Ryuujin to me!"_

"I completely agree Ferrum. It's quite easy to forget that no matter how wise and responsible Ash is, he is still a ten-year-old boy and Pikachu is just too similar to Ash to even comment on."

"Oi! Get the box out, will you?" Brock and Ferrum looked up to see Misty calling them demanding for food. They just sighed before walking towards the two impatient and hungry metaphorical Munchlax's and the future Water Pokémon Master.

As the group laughed and ate, a face with a pair of brown eyes and a pink pig snout peered down from the foliage of a nearby tree.

"Hello there! Do you want some?" Ash asked offering an onigiri to the Mankey he sensed spying on them. Mankey jumped down and cautiously walked up to the group. After sniffing the onigiri a couple of times, Mankey took it and ate it. With the first bite, the pig monkey's eyes widened in shock and pleasure before she sat down and started to quickly demolish the small rice ball in its hands. "It's good, isn't it?"

"Man-mankey!" Mankey exclaimed causing Ash to smile.

"Want some more?" Mankey just shook her head as Ash put down a plate full of onigiri in front of the eager pig monkey Pokémon. As soon as Ash took back his hand, Mankey pounced on the plate and proceeded to demolish the small mound of rice balls. As Mankey ate with the group, she kept an ear on the conversation flowing through the group. What confused her was that though Pikachu wasn't talking, everyone would seem to agree with something he said.

"I completely agree with Pikachu Ash! You really do tend to overdo things." The tall brown haired male said causing the spikey haired boy who gave her the food to give of an indignant scream. "Though he doesn't know the meaning of overkill as well." This caused Pikachu to hang his head in depression.

"Don't be mean Brock! Pikachu does know the meaning of overkill, else most water and flying type Pokémon would come out critically injured. Especially since he started getting the hang of his aura and started infusing it with his electrical energy. Who knew there was a thing called blue lightning?" The red haired girl said arousing the fighting type's curiosity.

"Yeah! I know. After Cherry, Midori and Blaze found out that infusing aura with their elemental energy produced elemental aura, they started training to see the limits of the ability." Ash said, causing Misty to ask about what they found. "Well, it seems that water elemental aura gives un-paralleled control over water. Flying type aura allows Cherry to fly about using a pseudo-levitation. Same with Blaze, for flying anyway. Fire aura produces blue fire and with grass aura, let's just say that Midori's **Grassy Terrain** looks like a parlor trick compared to a god's ability."

"What do you mean Ash?" Brock asked. Ash just stared at him for a while before sighing. "Simple Brock. While **Grassy Terrain** causes the terrain to grow grass, Midori can literally create a small forest and then control that forest as if it was an extension of herself. Much like a **Vine** **Whip** or **Frenzy** **Plant**."

Hearing Ash caused Mankey to start thinking about its goals. After a few minutes of consideration, she nodded to herself before standing up and tapping Ash on his shoulder. "Man-mankey key!" Ash just nodded to Mankey's request and stood up. Both Mankey and Ash walked towards the road and stood facing each other.

"Come on out Froakie!" Ash called out as the blue Bubble Frog Pokémon materialized in a flash of white light. Mankey tensed her muscles before dashing towards Froakie and tried to swipe away Froakie's balance with a **Low Kick**. "Jump up Froakie and use your frubbles to decreases Mankey's mobility. Then counter with **Water Pulse**!"

Froakie didn't need to be told twice and started throwing the gooey white frubbles all around Mankey who did her best to dodge, only for her foot to get trapped in the frubbles. She pulled hard, trying to get free only to be thrown back by a condensed ball of water. Mankey got up and wobbled a bit before slashing her glowing fist in a blade like motion causing a blade of white energy to fly towards Froakie.

"Forakie use **Cut** to cut through the **Vacuum** **Wave** and then **Double** **Ace**!" To Mankey's astonishment, Froakie created a blade of white energy and swiped it through the middle of her **Vacuum Wave** attack before he multiplied into fifteen copies. All the copies vanished from her sight for a moment before she was struck by the Bubble Frog Pokémon in the back with a glowing fist, knocking her on her face. Getting up, Mankey glowed white before evolving into Primeape.

"Prime-PRRRIME!" Primeape called out charging with one of her fists cloaked in electricity and tried to ram in into Froakie's gut. "Froakie use **Camoflage** and then counter with **Aerial Ace**!" Just before Primeape's fist struck Froakie, he glowed white. Primeape got confused when the electric attack didn't seem to do anything to her target only for her target to strike her in the face with a glowing fist, knocking her back. Froakie then glowed white and transformed into Frogadier

"Now finish this with **Hydro Pump**!" The newly evolved Frogadier didn't waste a second as he opened his mouth and launched a massive jet of water into Primeape, causing her to crash into a tree. As Primeape slid down the tree, everyone could see that she was already knocked out, so Ash walked up to her and tapped a Guardian Ball on her head and proceeded to capture her. Without even a single wiggle, the ball gave out a ping signifying a successful capture.

"YEAH! WE CAUGHT A PRIMEAPE!" Ash called out raising the ball into the air. Pikachu cheering with Ash, while Frogadier and Ferrum watched on with amusement.

"How about we finish lunch and then head to Celadon. Primeape need to be checked by Nurse Joy, you know?" Misty said testily. Annoyed at Ash and Pikachu's childish behavior.

"You just want to sleep in a bed tonight as well. Admit it Misty!" Ash said teasingly causing Misty to splutter before she tried to bash Ash's brains out with her trusty mallet as her target chuckled and ran from her.

" _Where does she even keep that thing?"_

"Your guess is as good as mine Ferrum. If you find out, let me know!" Brock said as he offered Frogadier a sandwich.

* * *

The group of three kids and two Pokémon walked into a large city from a dirt road. Evening was approaching, so they quickly headed towards the Pokémon Centre. Walking into the Center, Brock tried to run towards Nurse Joy only to be restrained by Misty. Ash just sighed and walked towards Nurse Joy.

"Welcome to the Celadon City Pokémon Centre! How may I help you?"

"We need a room for a couple of days Nurse Joy and we need out Pokémon checked over." Ash said as Ferrum walked up to him. Pikachu floating beside Ash looking at Ryuujin making the baby dragon laugh at the funny faces he kept pulling. After handing over all of their Pokémon, Ash took the room key and headed towards Misty and Brock.

"She said that they will be returned to us in an hour. Better get dinner while we can!" Ash said as he fed Gible a small nugget of Pokémon food specially prepared for baby dragon type Pokémon.

* * *

"Hello Lance! Lorelei! Hope you two are ready!" A middle aged red haired man wearing a red cape and a middle aged red haired woman turned to see a young raven haired boy walk out of some shadows cast by a large tree. Beside the boy stood a powerful looking Lucario and a Pikachu hovering above his head.

"Sir Ketchum I presume?" Lance asked with caution, a hand on one of his pokéballs. Lorelei observed silently with a pokéball in hand. After a couple of moments of tense silence, both put away their pokéballs and became jovial.

"Nice to meet you Sir Ketchum! Sir Brunner told us that you were ten but to see is to believe I guess." Lorelei said offering her hand. Ash, the gentleman he is, took her hand in his and kissed it.

"The pleasure is mine my fair lady!" Lorelei giggled at that. "Unfortunately our job is a bust. Team Rocket has moved on some time ago. They were using the Casino as the entrance to their underground lair. My Gengar has already explored whole of the base. There is some paperwork left behind, most probably to throw us off their true ambitions. The only other thing I have been able to find is that their present Boss isn't as cruel and evil as his mother. Other than that, I haven't found out anything else. That's the limit of my psychic and aura powers. I am afraid I am of no more use."

"Dra-dratini dratini!"

" _Father there was a hidden room in the boss's office. Gengar missed it as it is hidden by powerful psychic barriers. Gengar wants your and Pikachu's help to get into it!"_

Lance and Lorelei turned with Ash and his Pokémon to see a majestic Serperior and a healthy and strong looking Dratini slithering up to them. "Well looks like we are in luck. Don't blink now!" with that everyone vanished into thin air.

* * *

The group of three humans and four Pokémon suddenly appeared in an abandoned but posh office. Looking around, Lance and Lorelei saw that the room didn't have any windows and the lights were provided by beautiful yet strong looking Sylveon using the **Flash** attack.

"Ash over here! This wall is actually covered by a barrier. I can't pass through nor can I break through on my own!" Gengar called out as he launched **Shadow Punch** at the wall. The fist of ghostly energy just splashed on the wall, which glowed blue before dissipating.

"Did that Gengar just talk?" Lance asked in amazement while Lorelei just looked on with a slaked jaw.

"I am over two millennia old you know. It's not like I had much to do while I protected milady's statue over at Maiden's Peak." Lance and Lorelei had the decency to look appropriately scolded as Gengar turned to Ash. "How should we do this Ash? Should we just over power the barrier?"

"We don't know what's behind that wall. Let me and Pikachu look at it before we try anything." Ash and Pikachu sat down and started meditating, their closed eyes giving off a pale blue glow. After a few minutes, both stood up, or in Pikachu's case floated up and walked up the wall. "Ready buddy!"

" _Just get on with it! And get a good grasp on the wall. I won't hold back!"_

"What are they talking about?" Lorelei asked turning to Gengar only to see him, the Serperior, the Dratini and the Sylveon standing by the door. "Why are you four standing so far away?"

" _It's best that you join them. Then I can at least stop the backlash of their crazy plan from harming you!"_ Ferrum exclaimed as he took a couple of steps back. No needing to be prompted again, both Lance and Lorelei quickly backed away towards the other Pokémon. They turned back to Ash and Pikachu only to see the door glowing with a yellow-blue light while Pikachu had a halo of azure blue lightning formed around his body.

" _ **Thor's Vengence**!" _ Pikachu called out as he launched a massive bolt of concentrated blue lightning at the wall easily disintegrating it. Pikachu mad a show of dusting his paws as he and Ash turned to the others. _"What are you all doing all the way over there?"_

"Oh! We just wanted to give you two all the space you needed to work. That's all! Isn't that right fellas?" Gengar gave a false laugh to which all the other Pokémon enthusiastically nodded their heads in agreement leaving Lance and Lorelei in confusion.

"Then let's see what is hidden here!" said Ash seriously as he turned and walked into the room with Pikachu, a ball of white energy on his palm. Before anyone could follow Ash called out with a shaking voice. "A Lance! Lorelei! You may want to see this!"

Walking into the room, both Lance and Lorelei were horrified to see a young girl, about ten, frozen in stasis. The girl had blonde hair that flowed around her naked body. The vitals monitor was showing that she was in perfect health, with only her brain waves showing abnormal behavior. Lance walked up to the container and picked up a medical clipboard.

"It says here that Subject 16, codenamed Black Tulip Two has shown promising growth and stability. From what I can gather is that the girl is a clone, or to be specific a super clone."

"She has a very strong Aura. Nearly as strong as mine. I don't know if she is a special case or Team Rocket engineered her in a way to have such strong Aura, but this bodes ill. Does the Clipboard make any reference to others like her?"

"Yes, but it also states that all of the others didn't survive long enough after the initial accelerated growth phase. It says that she is ready to be woken up again. We have to be careful though. It says that the last time they woke her, she had become violent and I quote, 'An mysterious aura of blue energy formed around Subject 16 that seemed to empower her to levels beyond that of superhuman. She was able to use this energy both as a defense and in offense, launching spikes of the energy at everyone. We were forced to use the control chip to send her into a medically induced coma, but she has exceeded the expectations of the Super Project. The Boss is sure to praise me for succeeding to clone his prized Agent Domino the Black Tulip and that she has shown as much potential as Project Mewtwo,' end quote."

"That is a little better. It seems that this Domino has potential to be a powerful aura user. The cloning process must have triggered some reaction to allow the clone to have so strong a control of her Aura." Lance and Lorelei just nodded to Ash's statement.

"What should we do? Put her down? But she is just an innocent victim, even if she is artificial." Lorelei said with a serious expression.

"Life is invaluable. Origins should not be the bar to judge with. Let me try something. If I can somehow contact her with either my psychic powers or an Aura Link, I should be able to see if she is unstable, or if she just reacted from the overload of her Aura Sense." Ash said as he placed a hand on the glass of the container. A blue glow formed around Ash and the Girl before a thin thread of Aura joined both of them.

* * *

Ash appeared in a black void with the girl sitting in a hunched position with her arms around her knees. Ash walked forward causing the girl to look up. Ash could see the wariness and fear in the girl's eyes as well as a hidden hope. "Don't worry! I am not here to hurt you. I came to see how you are! By the way I am Sir Ash Ketchum."

Ash could see all the emotions that passed through the girls guarded expression. After a long moment the girl finally spoke. The girls voice was sweet but had a hidden depth of power in it. "How did you get in here? Only Mewtwo and Amber could get here, and that was before Amber died."

"There are many ways to connect two minds." Ash said cryptically causing the girl to frown.

"How did you find me and why?" Ash watched as the girl become frustrated causing her Aura to ripple.

"I and a couple of associates of mine found you trapped in a glass container in an abandoned Team Rocket Base. We came to shut down the base, but it was already abandoned. My Gengar found the hidden room in which you were being kept. I used my powers over aura to form a temporary mind meld and here I am. Now may I ask you for your name my fair maiden?" the girl blushed at the compliment before she stood up.

"The names Domino or at least that's the original's name. All the Doctors called me Subject 16. I don't really have a name!" The girl said as she started crying at the last part.

"I believe that Domino is a beautiful name, but you are not a copy of the Original. You are you. You have different experiences causing you to be a different individual from the original, so a new name is in order. You can think of a name later though. Now will you react violently when you wake up?"

"No! Not if there are no malicious feelings around me!"

"So I was right! You do have a strong connection to your Aura. How about you become my apprentice. I can help you settle into a normal life while I also train you in the usage of Aura?" Seeing the skeptical look on the girl's face, he quickly added, "I may not look like it, but I am the Grand Master of the Guardian Order. I am one of the four human masters of Aura." Ash then pulsed out a wave of aura causing the girl to stagger in shock at the feeling of such pure and raw aura.

"I would love to learn under you Master!"

"No need to call me master, but let's get you up shall we!" Ash exclaimed with a smile causing the girl to smile as well.

* * *

Lance and Lorelei watched as the string of aura broke and the blue glow surrounding Ash and Subject 16 dimmed before completely fading. Ash opened his eyes and straightened up. "She isn't going to go on a rampage and has agreed to become my apprentice. Let the Order handle her and help her get acclimatized to the world."

"If that is what you think is best Sir Ketchum!" Lance said as he punched in the code to wake up Subject 16. A couple of minutes later the girl started to stir as the fluid was slowly drained away. After all the fluid was drained away, the girl sat down at the base of the container as the glass rose up into the ceiling. The girl only had her long blonde hair covering her modesty.

"Hey there! Welcome to the land of the living! How are you feeling?" Lorelei and Lance were tense but didn't react as Ash gently placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl looked up before smiling.

"I expected a towel to dry myself you know? And a set of clothes wouldn't have been amiss as well! Right Master?" Ash awkwardly laughed at the mistake.

"Right sorry about that! Pikachu why don't you quickly fetch my backpack for the Pokémon Centre?"

" _Sure ask the psychic Pikachu to be a pack Mudsbray!"_ Pikachu complained as he teleported away. He soon returned and dropped the heavy backpack on top of Ash. _"Ooops! Sorry I made a slight miscalculation!"_

"No you didn't! You did that on purpose and you know it!" Ash said as he rummaged through the backpack. He took out a towel and handed it to the girl. Then he took out a large shirt and a spare pair of jeans. And turned around. Lance followed his que and turned around as well.

"Need some help? You have been in stasis for some time!" Lorelei asked only to get a shake of the girl's head. She quickly dried herself off and dressed herself in the clothes Ash had given her. After she was ready she called out to the boys.

"You look wonderful! Now have you thought of a name for yourself?" the girl blushed at Ash's compliment before becoming pensive. After a few moments, she nodded her head as a large smile graced her lips.

"How about Lily White? I like the color White and the original used to love lilies until she was orphaned. I think that it would suit me?"

"A beautiful name for a beautiful young lady! You can stay with me tonight and tomorrow, Misty can take you shopping while I fight Erika. What do you say Lily?"

"That would be lovely but how am I to pay for everything?" the newly named Lily worried but Ash just chuckled.

"As of this moment you are a Squire of the Order of Aura Guardians of Rota. From next month, you will be getting a considerable stipend from the Order, as all squires get. Till then it is the Masters job to supply their Apprentice with all basic needs, so don't worry about paying." Lily nodded in understanding.

"How does the Order get money anyway?" Lance asked curious about the Order's finances.

"The order owns quite a large number of properties and businesses. From food to wines to pokéballs, we produce them all. The surplus is directed to the order. Other than that we get donation from governments, organizations and wealthy individuals. All of us Masters also come from wealthy backgrounds. We always channel a certain percentage of our family's annual income to the Orders coffers. Does that answer your rude question Lance?" Lance blushed at his mistake.

"After a few months, I will see about you getting your own trainers license. Then you can earn money just like any other trainer, coordinator, performer or stylist does. What do you say?"

"I do have a basic knowledge on Pokémon so I think that I can easily pass the licensing exam. I won't let you down master!"

"What have I said about calling me master?"

"Not to, but not doing so will be an insult to you as my teacher!" Ash just sighed before he teleported everyone out of the room and to the Pokémon Center Lobby.

"Thanks for all of your help Ash! We will finish up the investigation tomorrow when a few of the G-men show up, so goodnight!" Lance and Lorelei said as they walked out of the deserted Pokémon Center after Ash nodded.

"How about we turn in for the night?" Lily just nodded and followed Ash to the room he was sharing with Brock and Misty. It was a small room with two bunk beds. Pointing at the empty bunk above his own, he laid down after Lily climbed onto the top bunk.

* * *

Misty woke up and walked into the bathroom attacked to the room she was staying in only to come face to face with Lily, who was coming out after a shower. Misty blinked at Lily before screaming. Brock and Ash jumped up with a start and turned towards Misty. Brock stared in shock while Ash just shook his head in exasperation. Lily was wearing only a towel, that barely hid her modesty.

"Why didn't you wake my Lily?"

"I didn't want to disturb you Master!"

"You know her?" Brock asked with incredulity, with Misty starting at him for an explanation.

"Oh right you two were asleep when I brought Lily here. Guys this is Lily White. We found her frozen in stasis, inside the Rocket Base. She seems to be the result of a cloning project. Since she showed a strong potential to become an Aura Guardian, I decided to take her in as my apprentice."

"Hello!" Lily said nervously as the other two started at her. Misty was the first to react and started pushing her back into the bathroom.

"You shouldn't come out of the bathroom like that Lily and I am Misty. A pleasure to meet you. Just a friendly warning, Brock, the other boy, is a pervert!" Lily looked shocked before her face reddened in anger. She glared at Brock with glowing blue eyes, unnerving him.

"If you ever do something perverted in front of me! That will be the last thing you do, understand?" Brock shuddered as he vigorously nodded to show that he undertood.

"Misty can I ask that you help Lily with her shopping. She doesn't have anything at all, so she is borrowing one of my spare jeans and shirt. I will give you my debit card. You can even get a few things for yourself! What do you say?" At the word shopping, Misty's eyes widened in excitement.

"So you will need the whole set right? Form underwear to toiletries. A couple of formal dresses, a couple of casual ones. Some clothes fit for traveling and a back pack. A few accessories, a perfume perhaps!" Misty started saying causing Lily's eyes to widen at the list.

"Do we really have need for so much?"

"Don't be silly! A lady can never be to prepared! Now get dressed. After I am ready, we will head to the Celadon Super Mart. You two get out of the room!" Misty said as she kicked out the two boys and slammed the door in their faces.

"She is taking this to seriously!" Brock lamented as he headed to the common bathroom to wash his face. Ash just used a burst of psychic energy to clean himself up. The two boys were waiting in the lobby when the girls came down. Misty had forced Lily to wear some of her own clothes leaving her wearing a jeans short and a blue tank top. Her long blond hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Here you go Misty and while you are at it, can you browse through the evolution stones section. If they have Ice Stones in stock, can you pick up a couple. They tend to have boxes with all evolution items prepared as well, but only show them to people who ask. If they have one, can you pick up a couple as well." Ash asked as he handed over his debit card to her. "The PIN is Aura," he whispered tin her ear.

"Alright Ash. I will make sure to see if they have those in stock. If they do, I will pick up two boxes and a couple of Ice Stones as well. How does that sound?"

"Perfect Misty! If you are done before my Gym Match finishes, why don't you two meet us at the Gym. Else we will meet you at the famous restaurant, Snorlax Heaven!" Misty nodded as she dragged Lily out with her. "Alright Brock let's head to the Gym!" When Brock didn't answer, Ash turned to see him reading some breeders magazine. Ash sighed and tapped Brock on the shoulder startling him.

"Oh right! What were you saying Ash?"

"Let's get going. The sooner we reach the Gym; the sooner I can get my badge!"

* * *

As Ash and Brock walked into the Gym, they were accosted by a cocktail of aromas. From the sweet smell of flowers to artificial smells of perfume. So strong the cocktail was that it caused Ash's head to swim for a moment. "There goes my plan of using a fire type. Poor Ponyta will have to wait a bit longer for a battle. With all the fumes, this place is an accident waiting to happen!" Brock nodded sagely as they approached the front desk.

"Yes! How may I help you?"

"Is the Gym Leader free for a challenge at the moment?" Ash asked. The girl at the desk looked through a clipboard for a few moments before putting it down again.

"You are lucky! There are no challenges scheduled today and Erika should be back in about half-an-hour. She can take your challenge then. Will it be a problem if some young trainers watch the battle? Erika teaches young gents and ladies from rich families on battling and Pokémon care. You are slotted in at the exact moment when she holds her classes."

"I have no problems with an audience." The girl nodded before she got up.

"Then please follow me. I will bring you to the battle field. You companion may sit in the bleachers." The girl said as she led the duo towards a pair of large double doors. Entering through it, they came face to face with an indoor replication of a forest clearing. A set of stairs lead to a metal catwalk that was set high into the vaulted roof. Brock gave a nod of encouragement and walked off towards the stairs. Ash walked towards the challenger's side and sat down to meditate. Pikachu poked his head out of Ash's backpack for a moment before shrugging and settling down in the bag again. Ten minutes later Ash sensed a mass of people walking into the room. Among them he sensed Misty, Lily, Lance and Lorelei's as well.

"Is he the challenger Jane?"

"That's right Erika. As I said he came by half-an-hour ago. I led him and his companion here and left. I monitored them for the whole period, the challenger seemed to be meditating. His companion has been reading a book." Erika nodded her head before she approached Ash.

"Hello! Are you ready for the battle?" Erika asked with a slight bow. Ash opened his eyes to see a brunet about a couple of years older than him standing before him. Erika was wearing a yellow kimono with flower print on it and a hairband on her head. He stood up and bowed in return.

"That I am milady! What are the rules for this gym?" Erika's eyes widened at Ash's polite yet cultured response.

"The rules are simple!" Erika called out loudly so that everyone could hear her. "We will have three one-on-one battles. No substitutions. When one of us wins, both of us change our Pokémon. If you win two of the three matches, you will earn the Rainbow badge. Any questions?"

"Not at all milady! the rules are crystal clear!" Ash said as he placed his backpack down at the feet. Pikachu climbed out of the bag and glared at Ash before he used his psychic powers to bring out a sleeping Ryuujin. He then teleported them into Misty's and a shocked Lily's arms.

" _He could have warned me! Can't even sleep in peace!"_ Pikachu grumbled as he broadcasted his thoughts to everyone as he settled down to sleep again. Everyone except Ash, Misty, Brock, Lance and Lorelei looked shocked.

"Sorry about that. Pikachu is a bit irritable at the moment." Ash said breaking everyone out of their shock.

"Jane will you please…" Erika began only for Lance to interrupt her.

"Ahem! May I be allowed to referee the challenge?" Erika looked shocked but just nodded in agreement.

"O…of course Lance!" Lance smiled as he jumped down into the middle of the battle field and then walked up to Jane. Taking the flags from her, he motioned for Jane to find a place among the audience. After Jane was safely sequestered among the young ladies and gents. Lance turned to Ash and Erika.

"Are both of you ready?" they both nodded their heads in assent and took out their first pokéballs. "This is an official gym challenge between Erika the gym leader and Sir Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. It will be three one-on-one battles with each both trainer and leader changing their Pokémon after each battle. Trainer release your Pokémon!" Ash and Erika threw their respective pokéballs and out came a Tangela on Erika's side. Bulbasaur was revealed to be Ash's first Pokémon.

"BEGIN!" Lance called out from the edge of the battle field.

"Tangela use **Sunny Day**! Then **Return**!" Tangela launched a ball of white energy into the air causing bright sunlight to fill the room.

"Bulbasaur douse Tangela with **Toxic**!" As Tangela charged forward Bulbasaur jumped into the air using his vines and vomited a sickly green fluid on Tangela. Tangela screamed out in pain as violet lightning over his form.

"Tangela! Use **Facade**!"

"Bulbasaur catch Tangela with **Vine Whip** and then **Slam** him into the ground!" Tangela tried to charge, Bulbasaur quickly wrapped his vines around Tangela and raised him high into the air and then promptly slammed him into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Everyone started at the brutal and one sided battle with bated breaths and waited for the dust to settle.

"Now **Venoshock**!" Ash said shocking everyone. Bulbasaur didn't question the order and launched a ball of greenish-purple poison into the dust cloud. Tangela screamed in pain before jumping back from Bulbasaur. Everyone could see that Tangela was on his last legs.

"Tangela use **Hyper Beam**!" Erika ordered and Tangela followed without hesitance. Between two tentacles, Tangela charged up a ball of orange energy before launching a massive beam at Bulbasaur. Ash looked on with a smirk.

" **Protect**!" the greenish barrier easily withstood the barrage of energy. After Tangela let the **Hyper Beam** fade, Bulbasaur dropped the barrier and waited for Ash's final command. "Finish this with **Frenzy Plant**!"

Bulbasaur reared up on his back legs before slamming his front ones into the ground. The ground tore up as a mass of writhing vines with thorns rushed towards the immobilized Tangela and proceeded to thrash the poor creature into unconsciousness.

"Winner Ash! Trainers send out your second Pokémon!" Lance declared as Tangela and Bulbasaur were returned and in their place, their trainers sent out a Gloom and a Dratini. Erika's gloom looked really strong, Ash observed before shaking his head.

"BEGIN!"

"Gloom start out with **Solar Beam**!" As the previous **Sunny Day** was still in effect, Gloom quickly charged up a massive ball of solar energy and launched it at Dratini.

"Dratini use **Extreme Speed** to get out of the way and then strike with **Iron Tail**!" Ash commanded. Dratini phased out and appeared beside Gloom with a glowing silver tail. As Dratini was about to strike Gloom with the tail, Erika called out her next attack.

" **Sleep Powder** my dear Gloom!" Gloom easily disengaged the **Solar Beam** and doused the area she was in with sparkling blue powder. Dratini didn't have a chance as she breathed in the powder and fell asleep, though her momentum guided tail still struck Gloom before the silver energy dissipated. Ash sighed and withdrew Dratini.

"You did good girl! I forfeit Dratini!"

"As the challenger has forfeited, the winner of this round is the Gym Leader Erika. Trainers reveal your final Pokémon!" Erika hugged gloom before returning her as well.

"Take the stage Lombre!" Erika called out releasing the Jolly Pokémon. Ash on the other hand released a pure white Vulpix with puffy cloud like tails and head fur. "It's time to shine Koyuki!"

"What is wrong with that Pokémon?" and "I didn't know that Vulpix could be white as well," were some of the questions being asked by Erika's students. From the expression on Erika's face, he could see that though she was surprised, she knew what she was dealing with.

"The Alolan variant of our fire type Vulpix. I didn't expect to see an Alolan Pokémon, even if it's only a sub species of a Kanto kind. You have god tastes in Pokémon Sir Ketchum!" Ash just nodded in assent.

"BEGIN!"

"Koyuki! **Agility** into **Feint Attack**!" Koyuki rushed towards Lombre, leaving behind afterimages. As he closed in, her body glowed with black energy as she tried to ram into the Jolly Pokémon.

"Dodge and then counter with **Fire Punch**!" Lombre easily avoided it by spinning away and then rammed a flaming fist into Koyuki's gut. With a cry of intense pain, Koyuki jumped back snarled.

" **Disable**!" Koyuki smirked as her eyes and Lombre glowed blue. Erika gritted her teeth at that. "Now **Hail**!" Koyuki glowed white before the intense light faded and a snow storm filled the battlefield. "Now use the storm as cover and strike at Lombre with combo 3 and follow it up with combo 7!" Ash commanded sowing confusion in everyone's mind. Koyuki didn't react in any way to show that she heard but quickly charged into the heart of the storm and vanished from sight.

"Careful Lombre! They are up to something! Use **Bubblebeam** when Vulpix get close." Lombre nodded and bulged up his cheeks only to be hit by a shard of freezing ice. As Lombre turned to launched the stream of explosive bubbles, a blast of freezing cold wind and ice shards blasted through the stream and struck Lombre making him cry out in pain. When the blast of wind dissipated, everyone saw ice forming on Lombre.

" **Swords Dance** , then follow up with **Surf**!" Erika called out. Lombre spurn in place with his hands crossed over his chest and then just as he was about to summon up the wave of water, Koyuki appeared beside him and blasted him with a full powered **Freeze-dry** attack. The glowing beam of pale bluish-white energy struck Lombre causing him to lose focus and fall to his knees and then his face. After making sure that Lombre was out cold, Koyuki let the snow storm dissipate and walked over to Ash.

"Lombre is unable to continue, the challenger is the victor.!" Lance said as Erika returned her Lombre. Ash hugged Koyuki close to him as he whispered praises to her, before returning her as well.

"That was a great battle. If that gambit with Gloom hadn't succeeded, they you would have won without any losses. To commemorate your victory, here is the Rainbow Badge!" Erika said as she handed him a flower shaped badge with every petal one of the colors of the rainbow.

"Thank you for the exciting battle Erika!" Ash said as he walked out of the Gym. He waited outside till Brock, Misty, Lily, Lance and Lorelei approached him

"Good job Ash! Now how are you fitting in Lily?" Lance asked.

"I am doing well! Misty has been telling me what is proper and what isn't and also helped with my shopping! She has been a great help!" Lily said with joy.

"That's good! Keep up the good work Misty. The poor girl needs friends like you. Now the reason I am here is that we need a photo of you Lily. After the photo is taken, I will be submitting it to the government with the information needed to make you a citizen of Kanto. What do you say?"

"I already informed my cousin, Queen Ilene. She sad that she will be taking care of all the paperwork. It would be better if Lily is registered as a citizen of Rota than Kanto. It will prevent busybodies from poking their nose into classified information. Don't you think?" Lance looked surprised at that. He really didn't think of that. He nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright Ash! That's a fine idea. I wish you good luck on your journey! Come on Lorelei! We have to report back to the League HQ!" Lance said as he released his two Dragonites. Lance and Lorelei climbed aboard and flew off with a curt nod in Ash's direction. Ash turned back to his friends only to see Lily restraining Brock and Misty staring into space.

"Misty! Mist! You aright?" Ash called out breaking Misty from her catatonic state.

"That was Lorelei! The premier Ice type trainer. She is one of my Idols!" Misty exclaimed, "And I didn't get an autograph!"

"Don't worry Misty, you will get other chances. Now how about we head to the Pokémon Center and then head out for lunch?" Ash ask causing his companions to nod in agreement. Ash took his debit card from Misty and then picked up Ryuujin and headed towards Snorlax's Heaven via the Pokémon Center. His companions following with Pikachu glaring at Ash from Lily's arms.


	9. Chapter 8 - The Heart of the Soul

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

 **A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that this chapter is the present you were waiting for and have a happy new year!**

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – The heart of the Soul!**

"I can't believe that you caught that Muk! Why would you even want one?" Misty complained for the hundredth time causing Lily and Brock to sigh and Ash to scowl.

"That Muk would have continued to cause problems for the Gringey City Power Plant. The pollution in the city draws poison type Pokémon like Butterfree to honey. The Grimer won't band together without a leader and they tend to only follow Muk. I scanned the surrounding area and found no other Muk, so they should be fine for some time and I get a good Pokémon to add to my ever growing team."

"Fine but don't bring it close to me! I don't want to be covered in grime!" Misty exclaimed with vehemence before huffing and turning away.

"Should she be planning on how to train that Psyduck she caught in Hophophop Town?" Lily asked Brock, who just shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I don't understand Misty most of the time, so I really can't tell what she is going to be doing. If it was me thought, I would be trying to help Psyduck learn to work through his headache." Lily nodded before she sighed.

"What kind of training are you planning for Vulpix Brock?"

"I haven't really decided yet. Suzie gave her to me as she likes my cooking a lot and so that Vulpix can be judge for my progress in breeding abilities. I don't know if she will want to be a battler though. If she doesn't then I will only have her do light training so that she can defend herself." Lily nodded in understanding.

"I see. Being a trainer or a breeder is very difficult, though I can't really see myself becoming a breeder in the future. Battling looks fun but it doesn't really have that much of an appeal to me." Brock nodded.

"There are other paths you can follow. You can become a Pokémon Coordinator or even a Pokémon Performer as well."

"What are Pokémon Coordinators and Pokémon Performers?" Lily asked in confusion.

"A Pokémon Coordinator is a trainer who specializes in making sure that whenever one of their Pokémon battles, they present their abilities with beauty, grace and power to silence the audience in awe. A Performer on the other hand does the same but they rarely battle and their skill set revolves around performances with their Pokémon. Next time we are in town, remind me to show you the recordings of a Contest and a Showcase. You will see the difference then."

" _Just because you are training to become an Aura Guardian, doesn't meant that you can't follow your own dreams Lily. By next year, you will be taking the Trainer Licensing Exam and I know that you will do great. After you get your license, there is no rule saying that you have to pick a path immediately. Some trainers take years before they find what path they truly want to go down. At this time, you should worry about learning for the exam and acclimatizing into the world."_ Ferrum said causing Lily to nod in gratitude.

" _Hey you three! Look at Primape. She looks like she has fallen in love with Ash after winning her first P1 Grand Prix,"_ Pikachu said pointing to the Primape who was walking beside Ash and polishing the belt she won at the P1 Grand Prix.

" _Leave her alone Pikachu. She worked very hard to win that belt. It is a mark of accomplishment. An accomplishment that she wouldn't have had the opportunity to achieve if she didn't blindly trust Ash to help her win. That's why she admires Ash so much. So does Midori and Blaze."_ Ferrum chided causing Lily to giggle at Pikachu's sour face.

"I must agree with Ferrum, Pikachu. Ash has a way of bringing out the best in any Pokémon he meets and trains. Even without your psychic powers and aura, you are a very powerful example of your kind. He also has this ability to quickly bringing out the full potential of a Pokémon and them make them easily crush the limit to the ground and set a new limit. One that hasn't been seen before." Brock said with a smile.

" _I know what you mean. It's been a little more than six months since I met him, and I am already in a level that I didn't hope to achieve at all, much less till I was much older. He does have a unique understanding of how to help us get stronger that any of our species have ever known to be."_

" _You have an unnatural growth curve. You are a monster! Don't compare yourself with normal Pokémon like us! We had to work hard for three years to gain our power, even Cherry. You on the other hand seem to be growing at an exponential rate!"_ Ferrum interrupted with a huff.

"Alright you two! There is no need to quarrel. Everyone knows that Pikachu is special. How many Pikachu are born with psychic powers? May be he has some mutation in his genes, so he has developed a secondary psychic type like the Alolan Raichu are."

"That's a very good hypothesis Brock. If Pikachu is the emergence of a sub-species like and Alolan variant of Raichu, then we need to test that. If Pikachu has a secondary psychic typing, then he should be susceptible to dark type moves." Ash said entering the conversation.

" _Great! I get to become a moving target again!"_ Pikachu responded, sarcasm dripping from every word. The other laughed at Pikachu's miserable expression.

"Hate to ask this again, but where are we?" Misty asked before taking a drink form her canteen.

"We are somewhere in the mountains near Fuchsia City, but I can't really tell where from my map." Brock said as he consulted his map.

"Why are we following a crummy old map, if you have a PokéNav?" Lily asked Ash in a whisper. Ash hastily suppressed a laugh, disguising it as a cough.

"You alright Ash? You aren't coming down with something, right?" Brock asked in concern. Gently slamming his chest with a bunched up fist, Ash replied with a smile, "I am fine Brock. Just a bit of saliva that got caught in my throat."

"If you say so. Now let's see…" Brock mumbled as he again tried to find the rough path they were threading through on his map.

"Brock?"

"Yeah Ash?"

"Maybe this road is a new one and not present on your map. I can check with on my PokéNav if you want?" Ash asked carefully so as not to offend the older boy. Misty and Lily quickly covered their mouths with their hands to hide their giggling. Brock looked in surprise.

"I completely forgot that you have a PokéNav! Can you quickly check where we are and then point it out on the map?" Ash silently nodded as he took out his PokéNav and opened up the GPS map. He compared the GPS pointer on the PokéNav and then consulted the map. After a couple of minutes, Ash finally pointed to a wild space on the map and then showed Brock the GPS map.

"Here take a look. This road is new. The GPS shows the path but your map doesn't have it." Brock nodded right before a massive explosion drew the groups attention. Ryuujin, the little Gible was startled from his nap, so the little guy poked his head out of Ash's backpack. Pikachu, the only other Pokémon out at the moment floated up into the sky to see a plume of smoke some ways off.

" _There is a massive plume of smoke in that direction! I think that it's some kind of construction site. What should we do Ash?"_ Pikachu telepathically broadcasted to everyone.

"We help of course! Pikachu fly ahead. We will catch up in a few minutes." Ash said as he and his friends rushed towards the site. Pikachu having already flown off. As they rushed towards the site, multiple trucks rushed by. As the trucks rushed by, potholes suddenly formed on the road and boulders broke off form the rocky walls. As a result, the whole convoy of trucks crashed into one another and were grounded.

* * *

" _Is everyone alright here?"_ Pikachu called out as he approached the site only to come face-to-face with a rather bizarre sight. The foreman kept trying to release his Pokémon, but they kept returning to their pokéballs. The foreman looked up at Pikachu's call, only to whelp in surprise and fall onto his back.

"A Pikachu?"

" _That's right! A Pikachu with strong psychic powers. Now is anyone hurt?"_ Pikachu asked in annoyance. Ash and his friends soon entered the site and saw Pikachu floating in front of the foreman.

"Pikachu is anyone hurt?" Pikachu just shook his head before floating towards Ash.

"No! No one was hurt. The Diglett make sure to only target equipment, but because of them the Dam won't be finished!" The foreman cried out in exasperation. Ash and gang turned to see a crew of men working on fitting steel bars into the incomplete frames and explosions going off causing massive boulders to be loosened form the walls.

"The blasting is also part of the project?" Ash asked skeptically causing the foreman to nod.

"That's right, but the because of the Diglett we can't get the supplies through to complete it. They have been sabotaging machinery and blockading the supply lines. Because of them we were forced to create a separate division to combat the Diglett. We are calling in able Pokémon trainers to handle the situation." As the foreman said this, multiple buses drove in following a red convertible sports car. In the car was Gary Oak.

"The first Pokémon trainers have arrived! The rest of the chumps are in the trucks!" Gary said snootily as he jumped over the windscreen and slid down the bonnet.

"Gary Oak! Why am I not surprised?" Ash said in a monotone as he stared at Gary.

"Well if it isn't Ashy-boy! How have you been? Though I am surprised that as an Aura Guardian, you are present here?" Gary asked as the other trainers disembarked form buses. Among them were Leaf and Clio.

"Yo Leaf, Clio! How have you been?" Ash said ignoring Gary causing the boy to fume in anger.

"I have been fine Ash. Caught a three new grass types as well!" Leaf chirped happily.

"Same with me. Caught a couple of rare fire types. Went to Alola for a couple of months and came across them. I met Leaf there so we spent the time exploring and catching some rare Pokémon. Did you know that many Pokémon found in Kanto have different forms or typing in Alola?" Clio said with a smile.

"Sure I do. I even have an Alolan Vulpix. So what are you doing here?" Ash asked seriously.

"We had just gotten off the plane and were about to separate and continue our own journeys when we saw the poster. An all-expenses paid vacation at the Giva Hot Spring Resort was too tempting to pass up." Leaf said as she took out a couple of pokéballs. Clio pulled out two pokéballs as well. All the gathered trainers tried to release their Pokémon on Gary's cue only for all the Pokémon to refuse to come out.

"What! How can this be? I thought that they only got to our Pokémon?" The foreman asked in shock.

"There must be a reason of this. It seems that our Pokémon don't want to fight the Diglett." Gary said as he analyzed the situation. "But why would they side with the Diglett?"

"That can be easily found out. Come on out Blaze, Flash and Midori!" Ash called out releasing some of his more powerful Pokémon. Blaze's massive size and the sheer heat he was giving off intimidated many of the trainers causing them to flee. Midori's regal look, coupled with her beauty and aura of power caused many of the females to squeal in awe. Flash looked like any other Scyther and didn't attract much attention like his teammates.

"Blaze, Flash! I want you two to check out the area. Make a sweep of about three clicks from here. We need to see if the Diglett have any nests nearby." Blaze and Flash just nodded and took off.

"Midori my dear. I want you to try and contact the leader of the Diglett and make them come here to have a chat with me. Convince those Diglett to show you the way. I will wait for you to return."

" _Sure thing father!"_ Midori said as he quickly slithered off towards the crowd of Diglett, popping in and out of the ground near the road.

"Ferrum, Primape! See if anyone needs help due to the accident." Both fighting type Pokémon nodded and headed towards the crash site.

"Now we wait." Ash said only for an older trainer to complain.

"Why did your Pokémon come out and not ours?"

"Simple. I asked for their help to solve the mystery, not bully the Diglett." Ash said coldly with his eyes glowing causing the boy to shrink back in fear.

"So who are you and what have you planned, kid?" As Ash was explaining who he was and what he was planning to do, to the foreman and the remaining trainers, Misty was introducing Lily to Leaf.

"So you are training to become an Aura Guardian as well?"

"That's right. I am Squire Lily White learning under Grand Master Ash Ketchum. Nice to meet you Leaf." Lily said with a smile. Leaf just stared at Lily with an incredulous look before shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts.

"Nice to meet you as well Lily. I can't believe that Ash already has an apprentice under him. It must be so weird to learn from someone your own age, right?" Lily and Misty chuckled at that.

"You should see how Ash becomes when he teaches Lily. He shows a maturity far beyond his age with wisdom to boot. It's quite disconcerting to be truthful." Misty said with a weird expression on her face.

"So let me get this right, you think that the Project may cause harm to the environment, especially the Diglitte's home. So they are doing all they can to protect it?" The foreman asked with incredulity.

"That's right. Actually all of you have been very lucky. Last time I saw Pokémon protecting their home, the Tentacool and Tentacruel actually attacked with the intent to harm. The people of Porta Vista were lucky that Top Ranger Jack Walker and I had come to investigate some rumors or the situation could have been escalated to loss of life." Ash said with serious expression.

"Wait you were there during the incident?" a girl from the trainers asked in surprise. Ash just nodded in agreement. "Then did you see the Aura Guardian there?"

"Girl! You are looking at the Aura Guardian!" Brock said with a smirk causing everyone to gasp in shock. As they stared at Ash, Midori dug out of the ground with a Dugtrio.

"Trio trio dugtrio!"

" _Here he is Father! It seems that there is a large garden the Dugtrio and his Diglette tend that will be flooded if they allowed the dam to be built."_ Midori broadcasted to everyone so that they know that Dugtrio was saying.

"Thanks Midori!" Ash said getting a nod from the regal Pokémon. "Alright Dugtrio. I will see to it that they abandon the project. That won't be a problem will it foreman?" Ash asked coldly.

"We can't really abandon the project without photographic proof, but I have no reason to not look for it." The foreman said with a shiver.

"That's fine. In fact, you can have Blaze bring you there, right Blaze?" Ash called out just as Blaze landed beside him.

" _He has no need for me to carry him. The Garden is just over that cliff. Flash is marking a path from there to here. If you follow the slash marked trees, you will find the garden."_ Blaze said with a menacing glare at the foreman, telling him that if the project isn't abandoned, then he would make an example of it.

"Thank you Guardian and your Pokémon! Now I won't have to worry about my superiors causing me grief over the issue." He fore man said before quickly hurrying off to gather a team of photography experts.

"Alright Dugtrio. Now you and your family won't have to worry about your home being destroyed." The Dugtrio thanked Ash before he vanished underground. Ash turned back to the gathered trainers and said, "Alright everyone, the situation has been taken care of. All of you can get back to whatever you were doing." Many of the trainers grumbled but all of them except the trainers from Pallet left.

"So Leaf, Clio, Gary! Where are you three headed next?" Ash asked with a smile.

"See you all later! I gotta get my Soul Badge next!" Gary said as he hurried into his sports car and drove off.

"He will never change, will he?" Leaf asked with annoyance.

"Give him some time. I am sure that he will mature a bit. Just look at Professor Oak!" Ash exclaimed getting disbelieving stares from his fellow townsmen.

"You do realize that Professor Oak is a very childish person, so your statement is a contradiction." Leaf deadpanned causing Ash to chuckle awkwardly.

"Anyway," Ash said changing the topic, "What are you and Clio planning to do?"

"I think that a visit to the Safari Zone just outside Fuchsia is in order. I will be heading there." Leaf said haughtily causing everyone to laugh.

"I think that I will tag along with Leaf. A visit to the Safari Zone sounds like fun." Ash nodded in agreement.

"Then why don't you two join us. We are heading to Fuchsia for the Ash's Soul Badge. Then all of us planned to go to the Safari Zone ourselves." Misty said getting nods from Ash, Brock and Lily.

"I have no problem traveling with you guy for the foreseeable future. What about you Clio?" Leaf asked with a curious glance.

"What are we waiting for? The Safari Zone is calling to me!" Clio said as he rushed down a dirt road in the opposite direction to their destination.

"Not again! Oi dumbass! You are going the wrong way again!" Leaf shouted out in annoyance causing Lily and Misty to giggle. With a blush, Clio quickly came back to the group. "Now that you have had your moment of stupidity. How about we head in the right direction?" Everyone just nodded and let the irate Leaf lead the way.

* * *

Ash and his friends were roaming about a forested area on the outskirts of Fuchsia City, early in the morning, looking for the Fuchsia Pokémon Gym. They heard that the Gym was difficult to locate and one of the tests the Gym Leader used to assess new challengers. Pikachu was floating about with Ryuujin, who he was keeping afloat with his psychic powers.

"How are you holding up buddy?" Ash asked looking at Pikachu.

" _I am holding up just fine Ash. This is the easiest training I am doing and if I can keep this curious dragon on a leash while doing so, then all the better!"_ Pikachu exclaimed as he and Ryuujin flew by dodging branches. Ryuujing laughing in mirth.

"If you say so, but don't overdo it! We don't need you two falling out of the sky." Pikachu nodded as he and Ryuujn again flew by the group trainers and Ferrum.

" _Father I think that I have found the Gym?"_ The Aura Pokémon said as he cut through some brambles revealing a majestic but dilapidated Asian mansion. Ash, Ferrum and Lily concentrated for a moment before nodding their heads in synchronization.

"There are quite a large number of Pokémon in the mansion, mostly Voltorb and Electrode, but there are two human presences as well. One of them has the feeling of a young female while the other has the feel of a highly trained male of middle age. What do you think master?" Lily said looking at Ash and Ferrum. Brock, Misty, Leaf and Clio turned towards Ash for his verdict.

"Well done Lily. You have finally mastered **Aura Sight**. The presences are exactly what you said, though the young human female also has the presence of a highly trained person. The rumors that the Gym Leader and his sister being ninja must be true, especially from the feel of their auras. They are concealing their presence. They may surprise us by jumping out at random times." Ash said getting nods from everyone as they proceeded to enter the mansion. The first thing they found was that the entrance lead to a mall corridor. With his **Aura Sight** , Ash could see that the corridor was booby-trapped.

"Only step where I step or you will trigger the trap and don't touch anything, that means you Pikachu!" Everyone nodded with serious expressions though Pikachu was grumbling about unfairly being targeted. As they walked forward being careful as to where they were stepping, a Venonat appeared at the end of the corridor. After spotting the group, he quickly turned back and ran away. The others were about to give chase when Ash stopped them.

"That Venonat is leading us into a trap. Let's go through here!" Ash said as he pushed open a hidden panel on the wall revealing a dark access tunnel that directly lead to the other side of the building. The others followed Ash into the tunnel and then closed it behind them. After they were gone, a green haired woman in a pink ninja outfit fell down from the ceiling with a Meowth.

"That boy is interesting isn't he Meowth?" the woman asked her furry companion getting a purr of agreement from the Scratch Cat Pokémon. "How about we alert brother that he has a challenger that won't fall to the usual tricks he pulls."

"Meowth Meow." The Scratch Cat Pokémon said before turning with her trainer to leave through a secret passage only of a powerful psychic grip to catch both of them.

"I can understand testing the potential of a challenger but this is ridiculous. If the Voltorb and Electrode becomes agitated enough, they can harm the challenger and badly too." Ash said as he and Lily walked out of secret passage they had walked into.

"How did you know that we were here?" the woman asked in shock.

"Ash is a Master aura Guardian and a powerful human psychic. I may be a squire, but I have mastered **Aura Sight**. We have known of you since before we entered the building. We were just humoring you and you brother did you say?" Lily said in a mocking tone.

"Damn! We didn't expect Aura Guardians." The woman cursed before sighing in defeat. "The names Aya and my brother Koga is the Gym Leader here. Your worries about the Voltorb and Electrode, while valid in most cases, is not in this one. They are highly trained in the way of the ninja and rarely lose their cool."

"Now master will release you and your partner. We better not see any unnecessary actions on your behalf. We have no want to knock you out." Lily said just as the psychic hold vanished causing both Aya and her Meowth to land on the ground. After the stood up they turned to meet Ash and Lily with serious expressions on their faces.

"Sorry about the traps but it's hard to stop brother from overdoing something. I will lead you to him. Normally a challenger would have to navigate the maze and find him, or if they had figured out the situation, then I come and give a hint the challenger so that they can find brother. Since you have gone farther and caught me, I will personally lead you to him." Aya said before tapping on the opposite wall in a seemingly random sequence. A beep sounded before the wall slid back revealing yet another secret passage. "Follow me and don't touch anything. Though this is a private passage, we till installed many traps in it. We don't need someone accidentally activating any of them."

"You hear her. No one touches anything, especially you Pikachu."

" _Why the hell are you singling me out?"_ Pikachu asked in indignation getting amused looks from his companions.

"That may be because of your curiosity. You have a very reckless streak in you." Misty said giggling causing Pikachu to huff in annoyance. They followed Aya through the gloomy passage until they found themselves in a large open room with a massive electronic board. In the middle of room, a man with black spiky hair and wearing a purple ninja outfit, was meditating.

"Aya it seems that you have brought some guests. How unusual of you?" The man said opening his eyes and glancing at the group.

"What can I say brother. Even my stealth is not up to the task to hide in the presence of a Master Aura Guardian." Aya said as the man stood up. He surveyed the group before nodding.

"The name Koga and I am the Gym Leader here. Now who is the challenger?" Koga asked with a serious expression.

"I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I challenge you for the right to win a Soul Badge!" Ash said with a confident smirk. Koga stared at Ash for a moment before nodding. With a clap of his hands, the walls on the east side slid open revealing a large open garden with a regulation Pokémon battle field.

"Well Ash the rules are simple. We shall use two Pokémon each. You may substitute but I can't. When one side has lost both Pokémon, they lose. Any questions?"

"None at all. My team has been itching for a fight!" Ash said as he took out his first Guardian Ball. Koga released a powerful looking Venonat while Ash released Charmander.

"This is an official gym battle between Koga the Gym Leader and the challenger Sir Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Both trainers shall use only two Pokémon with the challenger able to substituted. The battle is over when either side has lost both Pokémon. Begin!" Aya called in her capacity as referee causing the battle to start.

"Charmander use **Ember**!" Without hesitation, Charmander breathed out multiple small fiery balls at the Venonat who did his best to dodge, though some of the fiery balls clipped him.

"Venonat retaliate with **Psybeam**!" Venonat launched a rainbow colored beam of energy from its two antenna at Charmander.

"Charmander use **Protect** then use **Ancient Power**!" Ash commanded causing Charmander to hastily conjure a green sphere of protective energy. The **Psybeam** splashed on the surface of the shield. Charmander quickly released the **Protect** and summoned up a silver boulder of rock type energy from his body and then launched it at Venonat.

"Venonat dodge that!" Koga called out causing the Insect Pokémon to jump back. The **Ancient** **Power** crashed into the ground in front of Venonat causing it to be sprinkled by sharp rocks. As Venonat was showed by rock shards, Charmander glowed with a faint red aura as his tail flame became larger. On the other hand, when the dust cleared, Venonat was seen glowing with the light of evolution.

"Great job Venomoth! Now use **Gust**!" Koga called out as the white light faded from Venomoth's body revealing the pale lavender body of the Poison Moth Pokémon. Venomoth flapped his wings in rapid succession causing a powerful gust of wind to fly at Charmander, throwing the small Lizard Pokémon back.

"Charmander flip and use **Metal Claw** to anchor yourself." Ash commanded. Charmander flipped as his claws lengthen and glowed silver. He quickly rammed his glowing claws into the ground preventing him from being blowing away. "Now use **Belly Drum** and follow it up with **Dragon Rush**!" Charmander glowed an intense red before his started panting, showing that he had significantly lowered his stamina to strengthen himself. _"Don't follow up with the last attack. Wait for my signal!"_

"Venomoth stop Charmander with **Poison Powder**!" Koga cried out causing the Poison Moth Pokémon to fly at his opponent and release a cloud of toxic purple powder.

"Charmander take it and power through with **Flare Blitz**!" Ash said with a smirk. Charmander also smirked as his body burst into intense blue flames and charged through the toxic powder. The intense flames burning the toxic powder even before it could touch Charmander's skin. Venomoth and Koga were taken by surprise and couldn't react in time, so Charmander recklessly crashed into Venomoth with his flaming body causing a massive explosion. When the dust of the explosion cleared, Charmander stood with one foot on an unconscious Venomoth and roaring into the sky. The bolts of blue electricity flowing over his small body easily ignored by the tenacious fire type.

"Great job Charmander! I knew that you could do it!" Ash cheered as Charmander ran to Ash and hugged his leg.

"Since Venomoth is unconscious, the victory goes to the challenger Sir Ash Ketchum and his Charmander. Trainer send out your second Pokémon!" Aya said pointing towards Ash at first and then at Koga. Koga smiled as he returned Venomoth and released his Golbat.

"Why don't you stand beside me and let Silver do the rest? What do you say Charmander?"

"Char-charmander!" The Lizard Pokémon said before turning to towards Koga. Ash smiled and released his Ponyta. Though unlike outer Ponyta, Silver's flames were bright blue instead of the usual red and orange.

"That's a beautiful Ponyta you have Ash. I can see that you have raised her well!" Koga complimented as he readied for the next round. Ash nodded in acknowledgement of the compliment. Koga could see that Silver was well trained, so he prepared for a hard fight.

"Ponyta vs Golbat, Begin!" Aya called causing both Ash and Koga to spurn into action.

"Golbat use **Supersonic**!" Golbat released waves of supersonic vibrations at Silver hoping to confuse her.

"Silver dodge with **Flame Charge**!" Ash called out calmly as Silver was cloaked in an aura of flames and quickly rushed out of the way of the directed soundwaves. "Now **Bounce** and use **Hypnosis**!"

"Golbat dodge! Don't look at Ponyta!" Koga called out in a panic only for Silver to easily jump into Golbat's path and launch the sleep inducing wave at the Bat Pokémon. Golbat fell to the ground and was fast asleep. Koga gritted his teeth before giving his next command.

" **Sleep Talk**!" Ash and Silver were caught by surprise at first, so Silver couldn't dodge the splash of toxic sludge. As the purple fluid touched Silver's skin, she cried out in pain as purple electricity flowed over her body.

"Silver quickly end this with **Horn Drill**!" Koga stared I horror as Silver charged at the immobile Golbat with her small horn spinning at immense speed. With a sigh he recalled Golbat. He could see when he was beaten.

"The Gym Leader forfeit Golbat!" Aya said causing Silver to stop in her tracks. "The winner is Ponyta and Ash."

"That was a great battle Ash. You had sound strategy and wasn't shy about using extreme force. That will let you get stronger, while your kindness and love to your Pokémon show that you will become a great trainer. Keep it up. Here is your well-earned Soul Badge!" Koga said approaching Ash with a pink heart shaped badge in his hand. Ash was hugging Silver by her neck as both trainer and Pokémon turned to the approaching Koga.

"Thanks! This was one of the fastest paced battles my team was in yet. Especially since this was Silver and Charmander's first official battle under me." Ash said as he took the Soul Badge before hugging his tow fire types. Koga looked surprised at the revelation but smiled.

"If what you say is true and I have no reason to not believe you, then you are already a great trainer. Form our battle, it's clear that you understand your Pokémon's limits and then know how to go around those limits. I expect to see you make at least the quarter finals. I will be rooting for you!" Koga said surprising everyone, including his sister.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence Koga. I do have enough Pokémon to form a very powerful team as well. All six of them are champion class Pokémon. Then I have one elite four level Pokémon. A large number of highly trained Pokémon and a few barely trained ones. Charmander and Silver are two of the highly trained ones."

"Char charmander!" Charmander exclaimed with glee as Silver just nickered in joy. Ash just smiled while just as Ryuujin walked up to his trainer and surrogate father.

"Gib gib!" Ash looked down and saw Ryuujin tugging on his jeans as he asked to be picked up.

"How did battling appeal to you Ryuujin?" Ash asked as he picked up the little dragon causing him to giggle.

" _It looked fun! When can I start battling daddy?"_ Ryuujin asked, Pikachu using his psychic powers to translate for everyone. Koga and Aya started in shock.

" _I am translating what he is saying. Don't look so surprised!"_ Pikachu said as he waved to the siblings, getting nods of understanding from them.

"You are barely two weeks old. You won't even start training beside us till you reach six weeks and that is non-negotiable. Just Ask Ferrum, Midori or Blaze. I have raised them from eggs as well and none of them were allowed to train until they reached six weeks of age. Just four more weeks and then you can join our newer friends in their training. What do you say?" Ash said as he handed Ryuujin a small chewy treat he made last night.

" _Ahh! But I wanted to fight string opponents and prove my superiority!"_

"And you can when you are older. At this age, training will only harm you and weaken you. Don't you want to become the strongest of your kind?"

"This is becoming ridiculous. I haven't heard of a baby Pokémon as determined to tart battling as Ryuujin." Brock said with Koga nodding in agreement.

"I have raised a few Pokémon myself, but none of them were this eager to battle. Ash will have a hard time keeping this young one under control" Koga said with a smile.

" _That would have been a problem, but Ryuujin idolizes Dratini. She should be able to keep him under control along with Midori and Cherry. Those two don't like unruly behavior. Blaze had been on the receiving end of their displeasure a few times."_ Seeing the questioning looks from the group Ferrum sighed, _"Blaze became a bit of a rebel when he originally evolved into a Charmeleon. Cherry and Midori didn't like his attitude and proceeded to beat the arrogance out of him. Ryuujin is really scared of the two, so he should keep out of trouble, just so that he isn't punished by the two."_

"I didn't think that Midori was that strict?" Lily said causing the other who knew her to nod in agreement.

" _That's because she is a pacifist and tries to handle situations through negotiations. Bulbasaur seems to be a bit like her. Anyway, angering her is a sure fire way to get an ass whooping of the century."_

"Hey guys what are you talking about?" Ash said with Ryuujin sitting on his head, munching on the treat.

"Oh nothing Ash! Ferrum was telling stories from his childhood." Misty quickly said causing Ash to nod in understanding.

"Alright! Now we better head out. We have to pass through the Pokémon Reserve before we make it to the Safari Zone. We don't want to be in the Reserve at night. It is both forbidden and heavily punished." Ash said with a serious expression.

"Ash is right. You better head out now. You should have passed through the Reserve by the time its dusk. If you travel east, through the forest, you will come to the prairies of the Reserve. Heading north east from there will take you to the Pokémon Center that is just outside the Safari Zone." Koga said as he pointed out the road on Brock's Map.

"Why are we still using Brock's outdated map, when Ash has a PokéNav?" Leaf asked to Lily and Misty.

"Because it's better that Brock leads us using an outdated map instead of moping about the whole time. It becomes really annoying really fast." Misty said in an exasperated tome causing Lily and Leaf to giggle.

"Alright everyone! Let's head out. I can quickly lead us to the Pokémon Centre and Nurse Joy!" Brock said with glee, causing his companions to sigh. "Thank you for your help Koga. We are truly in your debt!" Koga awkwardly waved away the gratitude Brock was showing the poison type Pokémon master.

"Ash I hope to have a rematch with you sometime in the future. I will send you an email. Is that alright?"

"Sure thing Koga. I just hope that you will give my Pokémon more of a challenge, especially since I will be using Charmander and Silver again." Koga smirked.

"I expected it and plan to train up my Venomoth and Golbat so that they can defeat those two! What do you say?"

"Then I say bring it on!" Ash said as he and his group walked off into the forest with Koga and Aya staring at their retreating backs.

"You know brother? I think Ash just might end up winning this year's Indigo Plateau Conference. That is, if he can defeat that girl from Kalos. Diantha, wasn't it?" Aya said with a smirk.

"I think you are right. We just have to wait and see." Koga and Aya started into the forest for a few more minute before turning and heading back to the Gym.

* * *

"Hello!" Misty called out as she knocked on the door to the small Cottage beside the Safari Zone Entrance. She and her friends waited for a response only to get none.

"Do you think something is wrong?" Lily asked in concern causing Ash, Brock and Clio to get serious. Ferrum and Pikachu, who were keeping an eye on Ryuujin, looked up as well.

"Should we break down the door? The warden may be in trouble?" Brock asked as he walked up to a window and peered in. The only thing he saw was his reflection on the foggy glass and dark interior of the Cottage.

"How about I use Aura Sight to check?" Ash said as his eyes glowed blue. After a couple of moments, his eyes stopped glowing. He sighed before turning looking at his friends. "It seems that the Wardens Cottage is empty and I didn't see anyone for at least a couple of miles in any direction."

"Bummer! I hoped to see if there were any rare fire type Pokémon here!" Clio said with a huff. Ash saw that everyone, including Lily's faces were down.

"Cheer up guys! We can come by tomorrow? The warden should be here by then!" Ash cheerily declared hoping to dispel his companion's depression.

" _Father! Someone is arriving here and by the scan I did, it looks like an Officer Jenny!"_ Ferrum said as he lifted Ryuujin off his head, where the little dragon was biting into Ferrum's ear again. _"Will you stop that kid! Biting my ears hurt!"_

Everyone chuckled at the sight. Ryuujin seemed to have gained a habit of chewing on Lucario's ears causing the Aura Pokémon no end of irritation. As they were chuckling at the sight of Ferrum scolding Ryuujin, a Jenny rode up in a large jeep. She was wearing safari trousers and shirt with a large tan wide brim safari hat.

"Hello kids! You here to enter the Safari Zone?" The Jenny asked as he took of her hat and pulled up her long turquoise hair into a spiky ponytail.

"Sure are! Are you the warden?"

"That's right. The last warden was replaced a couple of weeks ago and a notice was given that the Safari Zone was to remain closed till the new Warden, me, was able to take over. I took over last week. This morning I saw that the fridge was empty, so I went to Fuchsia City to stock up. I left a note but it seems to have been blown away in the wind. Sorry for the inconvenience. I am Amara Jenny, nice to meet you!" She said with a bow Brock was the first to react and was kneeling in front of Jenny with her hand clasped in his own.

"Dear Amara, would you be kind enough to go on a…AAKKK!" Brock screamed as Misty brought her mallet to his head and then dragged him away muttering about idiotic friends who didn't know the meaning of decency. Amara, Clio and Leaf just stared in shock before turning to Ash for an explanation.

"Don't worry about him. Brock seems to not be able to control himself in front of women he finds attractive. He just has to ask every woman he meets to be his girlfriend. That is if I, Misty or Pikachu don't interfere. He should be right as rain within a few moments." Ash explained with a heavy sigh getting a light blush of embarrassment from Amara.

"If you say so. Now let me put away the groceries and then you can pay the entrance fee and receive your customary 30 Safari Balls." Amara said as she opened the door to the Cottage.

"Then let us help you. We insist!" Ash said with Clio, Leaf and Lily nodding in agreement. After helping the warden put away her groceries, Ash and his friends, including Brock with a massive bump on his head and Misty holding her mallet in a threatening posture and glowering at the elder boy, were stood in front of the Registration desk.

"Now you can take your Pokémon with you, but you are forbidden from battling the Pokémon you want to capture. Throw these Safari Balls. Either you will capture the Pokémon or not. It depends on your luck. Now each co you hand over your ID's or Trainer Licenses whichever is applicable. Know this that if you don't have a Training License then you won't be allowed to keep your Pokémon but ID is a must to enter." Warden Amara Jenny said with a smile causing Lily's face to fall.

"Here you go Warden!" Ash said as he handed Clio, Leaf and his Pokédex along with Misty and Brock's Gym Leader Badges. Amara took the items and proceeded to scan all the information into her desktop when she came to Ash's Pokédex she was stumped.

"How do I use this thing?" She asked getting a laugh out of everyone except Clio.

"Dexter interface using IR and transmit my information to Warden Jenny please!" Ash commanded causing the Porygon to materialize and start interfacing with Amara's computer. After a couple of moments, there was a beep and all the information appeared on Amara's machine.

 _Transfer complete… Is that all sir!_

"Thank you Dexter. You can go back to standby mode." Ash said as the Virtual Pokémon nodded and then dispersed in a cloud of pixels.

"Here are all of your Badges and Pokédex's back but isn't Lily going in?" Amara asked in comfusion.

"Oh right! I completely forgot. Here is her ID." Ash said as he took out a Pokédex similar to his, but instead of dark blue, it was a pale blue instead. "Her you go Lily. Finish the initialization process and hand it over to the Warden!"

"Thanks!" Lily said as she took the Pokédex and activated it.

 _Assign a name to finish initialization process!_

"DeeDee!" Lily said with a clear voice, excitement coloring her tone.

 _Name accepted, finalizing please wait…done._ Soon the projector activated and out materialized a Pokémon that seemed to be made up of pixels and sharp edges like a computer sprite.

 _I am DeeDee a Porygon designed to help Squire Lily White in Pokémon related matters by the Order of Aura Guardians Research Division Head Dr. Kenshin._

"DeeDee transfer your owner's information to my machine using the IR system please!" Amara asked causing the Porygon to turn to Lily for confirmation. Lily just nodded to proceed. Within moments all of her information was transferred to Amara's terminal.

"Alright all done. Here are your Customary Safari Balls." Amara said as she handed prepacked packets of shrunken pokéballs to each member of the group. "Lily while you may enter and capture up to thirty Pokémon, you will have to either release them or have someone hold onto them till you get a Trainers License. What will it be?"

"As her Master, I will be hold her Pokémon in trust. We don't allow Squires to have Pokémon till they become Adepts. The only exceptions are in the cases of Pokémon Trainers being taken in as Squires." Ash said surprising everyone with the information.

"So you truly are Aura Guardians?" Amara asked with surprise.

"That's right. I am the present Grand Master while Lily is my Squire. I will give you the information of the transfer when we return. Is that all right?"

"Sure thing Sir Ketchum. Now after you enter, you have till eight at night. I will come and pick you up in my jeep if you don't return by seven. Here are you radio locators. It's policy to hand it to all those who enter so that we know where you are and we can quickly make it to you in case of an emergency." Amara said as she handed each of them a bracelet with a red button on it. "Press the red button to send out an SOS Signal. I will be there in a jiffy."

"Thank you Amara." Everyone said as they put on their bracelets and then followed her to the Entrance of the Safari Zone. After entering the Safari Zone, Clio and Leaf went their own ways along with Brock and Misty, leaving Lily, Ash, Ferrum, Pikachu and Ryuujin at the gate.

"Pikachu you go with Lily and keep her out of trouble. Lily I want you to try and convince a Pokémon to join you as a partner. I know that you can't easily communicate with unknown Pokémon, but this shall be your test. I have faith in you. The Pokémon here will either be mocking you, if they have escaped others trying to capture them or they will be wary. It will cause you to have trouble in connecting with them. If you succeeded, then you will have passed the first of three tests to become an adept. Now you must head out alone." Lily and Pikachu nodded before heading off in a random direction. "Ferrum! I want you to keep an eye on Ryuujin, but let him have fun. Meet us here at seven."

" _As you wish father. Come on squirt. Let's see if we can find some ground or dragon type Pokémon for you to meet!"_ Ferrum said as he picked up Ryuujin and headed out, using his **Aura Sight** to hone in on the closest Pokémon.

"Now let's see what Pokémon I can find with a compatibility with me!" Ash said to himself before he sat down and extended his aura senses. After half-an-hour of meditating, he abruptly floated up and then flew away in a seemingly random direction.

* * *

As the clock in Warden Amara Jenny's office neared seven in the evening, a gentle knock shook her from her intense scrutiny of a magazine article. Getting up, she opened the door to come face to face with Ash and his gang.

"Evening everyone. How did your time go? Productive I hope?"

"You can say that again Amara!" Ash chuckled while the other grumbled about insensitive lucky bastards. Well everyone except Lily, who was just happy to have already have a three Pokémon team waiting for her to get her License.

"If you say so. Place all the empty Safari Balls in that box. Then come to the desk one by one so that I can register those Safari Balls to your names, or in Lily's case, in her Ash's name." Amara said as she walked behind the desk and sat down. Brock was first as he handed over a single Safari Ball to Amara and waited.

"A Rhyhorn huh? As expected of a rock type specialist!" Amara said as she scanned the Safari Ball and then registered it to Brock's name and TID. She picked up the ball and then handed it back to him "Here you go! Take good care of him."

"Thank you Amara!" Brock exclaimed and was about to do something stupid just before Ryuujin jumped and bit onto his head. "Ouch! Ryuujin let go! I promise I wasn't about to do something embarrassing!" Brock exclaimed waving his hands while the others just sighed.

"Even Ryuujin is getting into the act of controlling him. This is becoming ridiculous!" Ash exclaimed with sweat pouring down his face. The others silently nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, who's next?" Amara asked only for Misty to walk up and hand over two Safari Balls. Putting the two on the six ball scanner, Amara quickly scanned and registered them to Misty. "Nice choices! A Slowpoke and a Poliwag. Take care of them Misty."

"Sure thing Amara. They were just too cute to leave behind!" Misty exclaimed with adoration glowing in her eyes as she took the two Safari Balls back. After her Leaf walked up and handed over a single Safari Ball.

"An Eevee! Well aren't you lucky. There are only thirty of them in the park." Amara said as she transferred the ownership to Leaf's name.

"Here is mine Amara!" Clio said with excitement as he handed over a single Safari Ball. Amara quickly scanned it and gasped.

"How lucky are you? One of the seven Numel that was transferred to the park and the shiny one as well!" Amara said as she handed over the Safari Ball after registering it to Clio.

"Alright Lily, you next!" Amara said as she motioned for Lily to come forward with her haul. Lily shyly handed over three Safari Balls and waited. Amara scanned the three and nearly knocked over the mug of coffee sitting on her desk. "The Slowpoke is not surprising, but it seems that your group is the luckiest group in existence. A Dragonair and an Eevee as well. Now that's a haul. How did you find them?"

"Well you see, I used **Aura Sight** to find Pokémon compatible with me and these three showed up. Slowpoke was like any typical member of his species. Didn't even react to being captured. Eevee and Dragonair on the other hand were hostile at first. I don't have enough skill to easily communicate with hostile Pokémon yet, but I was able to use an obscure aura technique to temporarily synchronize our hearts and convince them to join me. Eevee quickly accepted but I had to prove that I was worthy of Dragonair's partnership."

"And what was the test?" Ash said with a strange expression on his face.

"She launched a **Dragon Pulse** at my feet. I didn't move away or used **Aura Barrier** to block the attack. She was testing if I had the resolve to become her partner and not abandon her in unfavorable times." Lily said surprising everyone. Ash stared at her with an inscrutable face for some time before smiling.

"Well lucky you! You have passed the first test with flying colors and then didn't wait for me to assign the second test, but passed it with flying colors as well. congratulations Lily. After you have gained advanced mastery of your Aura, I will be personally administering your final test. I will take it the day after the Indigo Plateau Conference ends. Prepare and practice. Come to me or Ferrum if you have any questions. I am really proud of you." Ash said causing everyone to smile and Lily to cheer in happiness.

"What was the second test?" Brock asked causing Ash, Pikachu and Ferrum to laugh.

" _The will to not give up and retreat when your life is in danger. That is the second test and Lily passed it with flying colors. I can see why Father took her in as an apprentice. She is a prodigy!"_ Ferrum said all the while chuckling.

"That's fine but here are your Safari Balls Lily. Hold onto them and wait till Ash has his Pokémon registered," Amara said as she handed Lily the three Safari Balls. Ash walked forward and handed Amara seventeen Safari Balls causing her to gasp.

"Seventeen? Have you caught a whole herd of Tauros?" Amara joked as she put the first six on the scanner and scanned them. "Alright you didn't catch a heard of Tauros. That is surprising. How did you do it?"

"I asked each of them if they wanted to join me or not. Some declined, so I left them be. These are the ones who accepted my offer." Ash said in a monotone surprising Amara.

"A pair of male and female Nidoran. The only Alolan Exeggutor in the park. A male Exeggcute, a Rhyhorn and a Slowpoke. The Nidoran pair, the Exeggcute, the Rhyhorn and the Slowpoke are not surprising. So how did you manage to not get killed by the Alolan Exeggutor. He is quite aggressive. In the last week alone, he has injured a small herd of Tauros and a powerful Rhydon. All of them had to be relocated to the Recuperation Fields under the care of our expert team of Nurse Joys and their Chansey."

"Oh he was aggressive but only because he wanted a challenge. I promised him challenging opponents and the chance to get stronger than ever. It took a while but I was able to convince him to join me. Hopefully I can curb his aggressive tendencies. His aggressiveness must come from being a Grass/Dragon type instead of Grass/Psychic." Amara nodded as she finished registering the six and then placed the next six on the scanner.

"A Psyduck, a Doduo, a Cubone. Funny I thought that all the Cubone were captured already. Anyway the Alolan Marowak. Now that's ridiculous. How did you find him? He's a shy guy and rarely comes out, especially in the day. No don't answer that. And a pair of Poliwag. One of them shiny as well. All of you have the greatest luck I have seen." Amara said with an annoyed sigh as she finished registering the six balls and then placing the last five on the scanner.

"Let's see if you caught any other rare Pokémon," Amara said with a strange look on her face. After the scanning and registering was complete, she handed all of the seventeen Safari Balls back to Ash. "A Goldeen, a Kangaskhan, a Shiny Venonat, a Tauros and an unknown Pokémon. What the hell is it? I didn't know that it was even present in the park!" Amara exclaimed in surprise.

"The last green worm like Pokémon is a Zygarde Core. Zygarde is a Legendary Dragon/Ground type Pokémon, but the Zygarde Core is actually helpless." Ash said causing everyones eyes to widen in shock.

"I have never heard of Zygarde and my hobby is reading up on Pokémon myths and legends!" Amara exclaimed in shock.

"And why do you mean by the Zygarde Core being helpless? Is it a baby?"

"Of course you haven't heard of Zygarde. It is a legend in the Kalos region, but there are multiple Zygarde all throughout the regions. And Misty, Zygarde has the ability to break itself up into innumerable smaller parts with the core containing the mind and the cell being mindless puppets through which a Zygarde keeps watch over its territory. Zygarde are the protectors of Nature so you can see why Zygarde has such an ability."

"I see!" Misty said lamely with the others staring at Zygarde's Safari Ball in shock.

"So why did you catch it?" Amara asked with curiosity, "And why did it agree to come with you?"

"Simple Amara. Zygarde wanted to gather all of its cells and become whole again. I offered it the chance to do it without coming in harm's way."

"I have already gathered the fifty cells that were scattered around the Park and now have to find the rest scattered around Kanto, though only fifty more are required till Zygarde will be 10% whole again. At that time, it will be able to defend itself again."

"Now that's surprising. Can I meet Zygarde?" Amara asked politely causing the others to perk up as well.

"Sorry but it is quite shy. Until it has gained access to its 10% form, Zygarde won't be at ease to meet strangers. How about I come by again when I have time and introduce you to it then?" At first Amara's face fell but as Ash continued she perked up.

"That would be wonderful Ash. It's not every day you get to meet a legendary Pokémon!" Misty, Lily and Leaf giggled at Amara's pronouncement. "What? Why are you three giggling?"

"That would be because I have a Ho-oh on my team. They have met Rainbow multiple times, though she isn't with me today." Ash said sheepishly causing Amara and Clio's jaws to drop. After they got out of their funk, they just shook their heads before deciding it was best not to think much about Ash's luck.

"Anyway its getting dark. How about I drop all of you off at the Pokémon Centre?"

"That won't be necessary Amara. I can easily **Teleport** us there. Goodnight!" Ash said just as everyone had gathered their Safari Balls and vanished into thin air.

"What the hell can he not do? Better not to think about it. Though I hope that he keeps his promise!" Amara said with a sigh before she finished her mug of coffee and walked out of the cottage.


	10. Chapter 9 - Revenge of the Fossils

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Revenge of the Fossils**

The group of six humans and three Pokémon were walking down a dusty road approaching a small town. As the weary travelers came ever closer to their destination, people rushed about the town, preparing for the carnival that would occur that night.

"Hey guys look at that. It seems that a carnival is in town!" Misty called out in excitement. Lily was looking around at all the people, never having seen such sights. People running about carrying crates filled with goods. Fighting type Machoke helping set up stalls and carnival rides. All of these new sights attracted the cloned girl's attention.

"It seems that Lily is having fun," Leaf said getting a blush from said girl and laughter from their friends.

"How about we stop here for today? We have been travelling for some time now. Why not relax and have fun here?" Clio asked with a hopeful tone.

" _I agree with Clio. It is best we relax while we can. We don't know what the future will bright."_

"A wise advice Ferrum. If all of you are alright with that, we can stop here for today?" Ash asked getting nods from everyone including Ryuujin and Pikachu. "Then we better get to the Pokémon Centre and rent some rooms."

"You rent the rooms boys. We girls will meet up with you later by the town square!" Leaf said cheerfully before dragging Lily and Misty with her.

"I will never understand girls. What goes on in their head anyway?" Brock put an arm on Clio's shoulder and said with a sagely tone, "That my good man is the million pokédollar question. What is going on in a woman's head? The only ones with the answer are women and male psychics with powerful telepathic powers, like Ash."

"Wait Ash! Ash what were the girls thinking?" Clio and Brock turned to where Ash was last to see that he had vanished with Pikachu and Ryuujin. Only one left of their group was Ferrum staring at them with amusement. The large steel/fighting dual type had Ash's backpack in his arms.

" _They left some time ago. You knew that, right?"_

"Umm…Right! Come on Ferrum, after we rent the rooms, we can go find everyone?"

" _Of course Brock. Lead the way. I want to drop off this bag before I head out and enjoy the carnival. Father did leave me with a rather sizeable allowance to waste."_ Muttering under his breath, Brock lead Clio and Ferrum towards the Pokémon Center.

* * *

Ash, Pikachu and Ryuujin were walking down the road heading towards the Ferris Wheel. Ash was chomping on some dango. Pikachu was sitting on Ash's shoulder guzzling down a small packets of ketchup. Ryuujin was walking beside him chomping on candied apples.

"Having fun Ryuujin?" Ash asked getting an excited nod from the little dragon.

"Gible gib gible!"

Ash laughed at that before kneeling down and patting the little dragon on his head. "That's nice to hear. How about we ride the Ferris Wheel there. It will allow us to see all of the carnival?" Ryuujin didn't respond verbally, as he was chomping on another of his candied apples, but he nodded with excitement. With a smile, Ash quickly finished his dango, picking up the little dragon, he walked towards the booth. After waiting for a few minutes, Ash and his two Pokémon were finally able to enter an empty cab of the Ferris Wheel.

Ash, Ryuujin and Pikachu stared out of the windows of the cab. Ryuujin with a look of wonder and awe. Seeing that look, Pikachu and Ash quickly shared a smile. "So how does it look?"

"GIBLE!" Ryuujin called out with glee as the little dragon peeked out of the window.

"I am glad you're having fun. After you become a Garchomp, it will become harder to find Ferris Wheels with large enough cabs for you to ride."

" _Ash is that a stampeding heard of Exeggutor heading towards the Carnival?"_

"What do you mean Pikachu?" Ash asked turning towards where Pikachu was pointing. Ryuujin called in excitement, "Gib gible!"

"I hear you Ryuujin. Hang on you two. I am going to teleport right into the path of the herd!"

* * *

"Everyone stand back and let the heard stampede through, at the end of the road is a bomb. That should take care of them!" A plump old man called out to the citizens and visitors of the town. As most of the people quickly ran towards the sides of the road, Ash and his two Pokémon suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Quickly releasing Charmander and Alolan Marowak, Ash called out his orders.

"Young man! Quickly head towards the sides of the road. A couple of Pokémon can't stop a heard that large!" the plump old man called out only to get ignored by Ash and his Pokémon.

"Ryuujin use **Dragon Breath**! Charmander, Marowak use **Flamethrower**! Create a wall of fire in their path." Everyone watched as the common Charmander, the strange shark like Pokémon and the weird looking black Marowak with a flaming bone used their respective attacks. The little shark like Pokémon released an intense breath of green flames while the other two released breaths of reddish orange flames. Within moments a wall of crackling flames formed in the path of the charging heard of tree like Pokémon.

Everyone watch with bated breath as the charging heard of Exeggutor came nearer and nearer towards the wall of flame and to everyone's relief, the herd came to a complete stopped. The herd was about to run back the way they came when

"Ash the herd is under **Hypnosis**. We need to wake them up or knock them out!" Clio called out as he ran up behind the group with Brock, Misty, Leaf, Lily, Ferrum and a man he didn't recognize. Brock quickly released his Slugma and Vulpix with Clio releasing his Charmeleon, Marowak, Salandit and Numel.

"Then on the count of three we callout for all fire types to use **Flamethrower**! ONE… TWO… THREE…" Ash called out before everyone commanded their Pokémon to release their fiery breaths at the group of hypnotized Coconut Pokémon. The whole herd was quickly doused in a veritable sea of orange flames. When the flames finally dissipated, the herd looked around in confusion, with parts of their bodies suffering from minor burns, thanks to the restraint all the Fire type Pokémon showed. To everyone's surprise, Ash's Charmander suddenly glowed white before quickly morphing into its evolved state, Charmeleon.

"Congratulations Charmeleon!" Ash said getting an arrogant but happy nod from his Charmeleon. "Are all of you finally in the right state of mind again?" Ash asked as he used a burst of his psychic powers to quickly quench the remaining flames. A larger than average Exeggutor turned to Ash before speaking in their natural tongue.

"Exeggutor tor exeggutor."

"That's good, now would you mind returning back to your forest? I don't think a wild herd of Exeggutor walking through a small town during a carnival is agreeable to everyone. If any of you have suffered heavy burns, just ask Ferrum to use his aura to heal you." Ash said with a smile pointing at Ferrum who just glared at Ash for volunteering him without his consent. With lazy calls the whole herd quickly departed for the forest while some of the one with heavy burns walked towards a disgruntled Ferrum.

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks since the incident at the carnival and Charmander evolving. Since then Ash and his friends were walking towards a port before catching a ship towards Cinnabar Island. During that time, Ash had been helping Clio, Leaf and Misty train their Pokémon to their absolute limits. From just two weeks, some of his trainees Pokémon had already evolved. Even his Horsea had gotten stronger and evolved into Seadra.

Misty's Starmie had gotten strong enough to give Midori and Blaze a challenge, even though it would lose to them in the end. Her Shellos had finally evolved into Gastrodon with, her Froakie learning **Water Pulse** and how to use her speed to run on water before evolving into Frogadier. Her Horsea had grown large and was on the verge of evolving. Her Poliwag, though a new Pokémon was quite determined to become the very best. So in the last two weeks she had grown by leaps and bounds, easily reaching the strength of a seasoned battler. The rest of her Pokémon had also become stronger though Misty decided to send her Tentacool, Krabby and Slowpoke back to the Cerulean Gym.

Leaf's Ivysaur had evolved into Venusaur and was giving Midori a run for her money, though the Regal Pokémon was holding back her strength to that of an Elite level Pokémon. Her Rowlet had evolved into Dartrix was easily one of her fastest and most tricky Pokémon to handle. Though Dartrix still needed experience, she made up for it through sheer guts and willpower. Her Exeggutor had trained exclusively under his own, both being the Alolan variant. Through the harsh training, her Exeggutor had already reached the threshold to becoming an Elite level Pokémon, though she would still need a lot of work and experience before she could be considered one. Leaf's Paras, Exeggcute and Eevee had trained hard and become seasoned battlers, but they still had a way to go before they could be considered Elites.

Clio's Charmeleon and Ash's own had trained exclusively under Blaze. The older dragon like Pokémon had taken his two pre-evolved friends under his wing and had the two train till they dropped, though the two Charmeleon didn't really complain, wanting to become as strong or stronger than their trainer. Their Marowak seemed to have a rivalry born between them, though Ash's one was stronger for the moment, but from Clio's Marowak's determination, it was clear that he would quickly reach his rivals levels of strength. Last, but not least, Clio's Salandit evolved into a dazzling Salazzle and easily becoming one of his strongest battlers. Clio's Shiny Numel was already strong when he caught him, but now with a couple of weeks hard training, the Numb Pokémon was a force to be reckoned with especially since he was a very tenacious Pokémon. Never giving up even in the face of absolute defeat. Surprisingly Numel had learned a move that his species normally can't learn, **Magma Storm**. He somehow discovered the secret to Heatran's signature move, granted that the Numb Pokémon can't really bring out the true power of a legendary Pokémon's signature move, but leering it was still awe inspiring.

Brock also had his Pokémon train with the group, though not to the level the other three had. His Geodude, Onix, Zubat, Slugma and Rhyhorn trained hard to not be left behind by their friends. Shuckle and Vulpix decided to take it easier and just trained to keep in shape and learn a few new moves. Slugma had grown slightly larger and his core temperature had risen signifying that he was close to evolution. Same could be said for Geodude. He had grown in size and his normally smooth surface had small chips develop. During the training, Geodude had learned **Thunder Punch** , **Fire Punch** and **Iron Defense**. Rhyhorn had learned **Surf** , **Flamethrower** , **Take Down** and **Smart Strike**. Onix had learned **Dragon Breath** and **Iron Head**.

During those two weeks, the group had also helped a young herbalist evolve her Paras into Parasect. They also helped a Jigglypuff learn **Sing** , though they were caught by surprise when the Jigglypuff tried t6o thank them by serenading them only to find her audience sleeping. So when they woke up, they saw that Jigglypuff had drawn on their faces in revenge.

"Let's hope that we don't meet that Jigglypuff again. I don't think I will forgive it for drawing on my beautiful face," Leaf said with a pout.

"Don't worry about it. If we meet her again, I will tell her why we fell asleep. That should keep her from using **Sing** indiscriminately and also to expect her audience to fall asleep from her songs." Ash said with a small laugh causing Brock and Clio to join in.

"Very funny Ketchum. You just used your psychic powers to remove the ink. I had to rub my face raw to remove the ink!"

"I offered to remove the ink from your face, you declined. So you can't blame me. The others accepted my offer."

"The way you offered caught me off guard. I thought you were hitting on me!" Ash just smirked at Leaf's exclamation. Misty and Lily were giggling at Leaf's indignant answer, her embarrassment causing her face to resemble a Chansey's. Clio and Brock though decided it would be better to stay away from the argument.

"Oh my Leaf! I didn't know that you had a thing for me! Sorry to break your heart, but I only see you as a good friend," Ash said with false sadness as he teased the brown haired girl even more embarrassment, her face slowly resembling that of a Charmander.

"I don't like you like that!" Everyone started laughing at that causing Leaf to look at everyone in confusion, her embarrassment forgotten for the moment. "Why are you all laughing?"

"You know that he was teasing you, right? You have been playing into his hand from the start." Misty deadpanned after calming down causing Leaf's face to darken even more to resemble a Cherubi's.

"Sorry Leaf but you should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless." Leaf got angry at that and was about to assault Ash when Clio decided to quickly intervene.

"So Ash, I never asked, but what is you dream?"

"That is a tough question Clio. Before Mew awakened my powers, my dream was to become the best Pokémon Master in history. Now I am not too sure. Becoming a Pokémon Master is still a part of my dream, but now that I can understand Pokémon, it seems to be something that can be easily achieved. My position as the Grandmaster Aura Guardian demands that I keep the balance and peace between humans and Pokémon. So I don't really have a concrete dream anymore. I think that becoming a Regional Champion will allow me to influence the minds of our successors by leading by example. So I plan to become a Regional Champion, but for that I need to be able to win a Regional League to get permission to challenge the Elite Four." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"I can understand what you mean. I really didn't know what I wanted to do as well when I started my journey. Charmeleon has always wanted to become strong and I love Fire types, so I decided to become a Fire Pokémon Master," Clio said somberly.

"But to be recognized a Master of a particular type, you need to become either a Regional Champion, an Elite Four member, a Top Coordinator specializing in a single type or prove that you are an Elite Level trainer to the Pokémon League," Brock said getting a nod from Misty as well. "Gym Leaders have an easier time in that as they have to battle the Elite Four from time to time to maintain their registration as a Leader, but for you that's out."

"So I have to either become a Regional Champion, an Elite Four member or prove my worth to the Pokémon League?" Clio asked depressed. "I knew I should have done the Gym Challenge this year. Now I have to wait for next year!"

"Not really. If you can train up an Elite level team by the time next summer ends and if I win the Indigo League along with the Elite Four Challenge, I would be allowed to reform the Elite Four with members I choose. If you are able to take on one of the previous Elite Four members, then I can appoint you as one of my Elite Four. So what do you say?" Ash asked with a smirk getting looks of shock from Misty and Leaf.

"I only have four Pokémon at this time?" Clio said hanging his head.

"That's true but you have about seven montsh to get three more Fire Types and then train up your team to Elite Level. You Charmeleon is already bordering on Elite Level so is you Salazzle. Your Marowak will quickly reach Elite Levels as well with the rivalry it has with my Marowak, who is Elite Level. Having powerful older Pokémon help train the newer ones allow the trainer to quickly bring out the true potential of the newer ones. Just look at my team," Ash explained causing everyone to gasp in shock.

"Your right Ash! No wonder Daisy's Pokémon were stronger than mine when I left. She had mom's Gyarados and Vaporeon help train her own. I should have seen the connection. You had Cherry, Blaze, Ferrum and Midori help train your newer Pokémon from the start."

"That's right Misty. You have seen the results of only two weeks of training under experienced Pokémon. Think of the result of months of training?"

"Hey Ash?" Ash turned to Leaf and nodded to show that he was listening, "What are the responsibilities of an Elite Four Member?"

"They actually are mostly free to do as they like. The only time Elite Four officially battle is if someone takes the Elite Four challenge or if an Elite Four Challenges the Regional Champion. Other than that, they are asked by the League to help the Police in investigating criminal organizations, though that is a rare occurrence. The only time they are asked are when the Police plan to storm a criminal organizations base. Other than that, Elite Four Members and Regional Champions are called on when Legendary Pokémon are enraged and need to be defeated or calmed down."

"The last one must be a very rare occurrence?" Lily observed getting nods from Ash.

"Now that the Order is reestablishing itself, that duty will become nearly obsolete. The Order will handle such situations. So you got that Leaf?"

"Sure now if I can train up my team to Elite Level by the end of next summer will you let me become one of your Elite Four? I have always dreamed to be recognized as a Grass Pokémon Master."

"If you have a team of six Grass Pokémon, then why not! It will make my decision easier. I heard that Lorelei and Agatha were planning to retire anyway. Lance is looking to give up the position of Kanot Elite Four Member. It's too much of a hassle to have that duty on top of his duties as Johto Champion and Leader of the Pokémon G-Men. Bruno doesn't give have any opinions form what Lance said, but I doubt he will be angry if I don't include him in my Elite Four. So you see I will have to build up a whole new Elite Four any way."

"Thanks Ash. Now all I have to do is train my team hard. They should be ready by the end of summer, right?"

" _That's right, but then you will need to evolve your Eevee to a Leafeon,"_ Ferrum said getting a blank look form everyone but Ash.

"Leafeon is the Grass Type evolution of Eevee. A Eevee needs to touch a Moss Rock. It's a rock covered in moss and has a strong natural aura of grass type energy. You will have to visit either Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos or Alola." Ash said getting a nod from Leaf.

"You should go to Unova. I was planning to go there to see if I could find a Larvesta or Volcarona. They live in Relic Castle. You can come with me if you want?" Clio offered getting a small smile from Leaf.

"Or you can go to Alola again. Have you been to Lush Jungle yet. Larvesta and Volcarona can be found there and the Moss Rock is in the forest as well. You can capture two Pidgey with a single pokéball." Leaf and Clio looked up in shock.

"You mean to say that I could have got a Larvesta or Volcarona while I was in Alola all along?" Ash just nodded causing Clio to give off a howl of rage before he started mumbling to himself about being an idiot and not believing the rumors.

"Yeah you can find them in the Caves to the east of the Jungle. The Moss Rock is close to the entrance of the Jungle, so you better search for it near the entrance."

"Thanks Ash. After you do your Cinnabar Island Gym Challenge, I think that I will take a boat back to Pallet Town Harbor and then head out to Viridian Airport. What do you say Leaf?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea Clio. Well Ash why don't we keep moving then. The faster we reach Cinnabar, the faster Eevee can become a Leafeon, that's if she wants to become one," Leaf said in the end getting a smile from Ash.

"We can ask her later. Now why don't we keep on moving? We are really close to Grampa Canyon so only a couple of weeks more till we reach the ocean and the port town of Old Shore Wharf," Ash suggested getting a nod from everyone.

* * *

As Ash and his friends were walking down a road near Grampa Canyon, they heard loud noises coming over a small rise. As they were about to investigate, Gary Oak rode up the road they were traveling down in his Red Convertible Sports car. His ever present Cheer Leader Squad with him. After stopping the car near them, the arrogant trainer got out. The shocking thing was that he was wearing a yellow hard hat and had a pick in his hand. The Cheer Leaders were similarly attired with hard hats and picks.

"Well if it isn't Ashy-boy, Leaf, Clio and friends! Are you here for the Fossil Rush as well? I heard that if you find a particularly well preserved fossil, you can keep it. Then you can have it reanimated at a lab on Cinnabar Island!" Seeing the confused looks from everyone, Gary and his Cheer Leaders laughed out. "You don't know what I am talking about, do you?"

"I know about the Fossil Revival Project many laboratories are researching, even the Dr. Kenshin has a team researching it. The Fossil Rush here at Grampa Canyon is something I didn't know. How long ago were the fossils discovered?" Ash asked with curiosity.

"About a week ago. How don't you know about that?"

"We haven't been to Civilization in a bit over a week. How are we supposed to know the news when we are in the wilds?" Gary had the decency to look embarrassed at Leaf's deadpan statement.

"Anyway, Gramps is here along with some Representative from Rota. He called me to come by. Something about the possibility of getting my hands on a revivable fossil. I do hope that I get my hands on an Aerodactyl Fossil!" Seeing Gary loosing himself to his fantasies, Ash decided to draw his attention back to reality.

"Then we better get to the Canyon before all the good fossils are recovered by someone," Ash didn't wait for anyone's opinions and walked towards the Canyon, though his companions didn't really complain. The possibility to have a Fossil Pokémon on their team was too much of a temptation. As they walked by, Gary just looked stunned at the sudden dismissal.

"Hey wait for me!" Gary exclaimed running after the group. Cresting the rise, the group came face to face with what could only be described as organized chaos. Trainers and archeologist were running about overturning and checking every piece of rock large enough to contain a fossil.

"This wasn't something I was expecting!" Brock said getting nods from everyone.

After observing the situation for some time, the group decided to head towards the large tent to the side of the Canyon as they saw Professor Oak and Sir Brunner standing just outside the tent, discussing something. As they were approaching the two, Leaf tripped over a large rock.

"Hey you alright Leaf?" Lily asked as she pulled Leaf back up to her feet.

"Yeah, I am alright. Luckily I didn't break anything, only minor scrapes. Those will go away within a couple of days." Lily nodded as Brock and Clio were examining the rock Leaf tripped over. The rock had been upturned showing a fossilized root.

"Be a bit more careful Leaf. While it's good that you didn't hurt yourself, it's better to be vigilant in places like this. From the amount of activity going on, I won't be surprised if a landslide happens." Ash said as he placed a glowing palm to the scrapes on Leaf's arm.

"Hey guys I think that Leaf tripped over a fossil?" Clio called out gaining everyone's attention. As they turned their attention to the upturned rock and its examiners, Sir Brunner and Professor Oak approached them with a boy a bit older than them. The boy had red hair and was wearing blue slacks, yellow shirt and blue boots. On his rams were a pair of gloves with crystals embedded on them. On his back was a staff similar with a large clear crystal on top. On is head was a hat similar to Ash's but without more angular. Beside the boy was a Togetic.

"Good afternoon Grandmaster and friends. Are you here for the Fossil Rush?"

"That's right Master Brunner," Ash said straightening up. Ash then turned towards the boy accompanying Brunner. "So you must be Squire Selwyn. I hear that you are a prodigy and a traditionalist. It seems that the traditionalist part was correct and from the texture of your Aura, I can tell that you are nearly ready to become an Adept. Keep up the good work Squire."

"Thank you for the praise Grandmaster," Selwyn said bowing before straightening up. "I am Squire Jerry Selwyn, sorry for forgetting my manners and not introducing myself earlier," Selwyn said directing his attention to the group with Ash.

"Gary Oak, future Pokémon Master!" Garry introduced with his usual pompous attitude.

"The names Misty," Misty said with a smile. "It's nice to see another redhead."

"The names Brock. If you need any help with breeding techniques, come to me alright?" Brock said clapping the boy on his back.

"Leaf Miles, an old friend of Ash's and a future Grass Pokémon Master!" Leaf introduced with a small smirk.

"Clio Valdez form Pallet and future Fire Pokémon Master!" Clio said shaking hands with Selwyn.

"Squire Lily White, apprenticed under the Grandmaster. Nice to meet another Squire. How's it been in Rota?" Lily said with an excited smile. Selwyn was taken aback by her behavior.

"Lily stop pestering the boy!" Ash said as he bended down to pick up the fossil. Lily blushed in embarrassment at Ash's chastisement. Standing up, Ash handed the fossil over to Professor Oak. "Professor? Do you recognize what fossil this is? Leaf found it after tripping over it."

"Let's head to the tent. We ca use the Analyzer to examine it in details. Though I believe that it's a root fossil and in very good condition as well. Lucky find Leaf, you can have it revived at Cinnabar Island."

"What kind of Pokémon left that fossil Professor?"

"I believe that the fossil is that of a Lileep. It's astounding that you found one here. They were supposed to be native to Hoenn. Lileep and its evolved form, Cradily are Rock/Grass Type Pokémon. This find proves that millennia ago, all the land masses were joined together in a massive supercontinent." Oak said while in the background, Jerry told Lily about his time in Rota and his training there. "Now this will take a couple of hours. Why don't we have lunch while the fossil is examined." Everyone agreed to the Professor's proposal and within a few minutes, they all were sitting at a large table near the cooking tent. A delicious spread of food sitting in front of them. An hours later, everyone had finished their lunch and were preparing to go fossil hunting.

"So Dr. Kenshin send you to get a couple of fossils for his Fossil Revival Project, didn't he?"

"You know the old man. He has been bugging me ever since the news came out. Selwyn and I arrived two days ago and have been searching for suitable samples. Till date we have only found a couple of dome and helix fossils and a single old amber containing the blood of an Aerodactyl."

"That's good. How many did he ask you to get?"

"A couple more, a total of at least seven. We have another fossil, but it's a Kalos native. I was thinking of giving it to you after revival."

"That's nice of you Jason, so what does it contain?"

"It's a Jaw Fossil. It contains the DNA of a Tyrunt. From research I believe that they are Rock/Dragon type Pokémon. So what do you say?"

"I believe that it would be a wonderful addition to any team. I would love receive the Tyrunt after revival."

"why don't you take the Fossil with you. You are heading towards Cinnabar Island right?" Ash nodded. "Then its better you take it now." Brunner said as he and Ash walked towards Brunner's tent. From inside the tent Brunner's Pikachu came out dragging a Jaw Fossil with her.

" _Here you Grandmaster!"_

"Thank you Pikachu. Have you seen my Pikachu of Gible? It seems to me that those two are up to no good again."

" _Sorry but no Grandmaster. The last I saw Pikachu was when he and the little dragon were investigating a couple with a Meowth. Pikachu said something about their minds giving off suspicious emotions. I decided to let them handle the situation."_

"Was the man blue haired and the woman magenta haired, with her hair flowing behind her?" Pikachu nodded getting sigh form Ash.

"It seems that we have a couple of wannabe criminals here. I better see to it that they don't cause trouble here. I can't really have them arrested without proof can I?"

"Not really Grandmaster, but we can make sure to catch them ret handed!" Brunner said with a stiff smile. "Do you need me to come along?"

"Not needed. You better get back to your assignment. Dr. Kenshin will just complain the longer you take to complete it." Brunner nodded just as Selwyn ran up to the two.

"Master we have the required amount of Fossils, sir? Togetic and I were able to find three more old ambers with Aerodactyl blood, two more Helix Fossils and a seven more Dome fossils. What should we do sir?"

"Then have all the fossils packed up. We are going to leave tomorrow at dawn. We need to get back to your training." Brunner said with a smile. "You really sure you don't need help handling the idiots?"

"No take the time off. You and your Squire just finished an assignment. Take the day off and then get back to Rota. Dr. Kenshin should be busy for some time with these fossils to bother us with other requests." Brunner nodded as he saw Selwyn with the help of Pikachu and Togetic, was quickly packing up all of the fossils.

"See you later Jason. I am going to visit Rota with Lily about a month before the League begins. I need to introduce her to the others. Hopefully Reily and Raymon will be there as well. I need the reports from them. The Brotherhood is starting act in the shadows. The whole world is being slowly infected by corrupt aura again. My Zygarde informed me that he has sensed the dark aura users searching for him and his kin. Luckily we are only two cells short of achieving 10% Form."

"That is not good. Luckily we have found many aura sensitive orphan children. Lucario and Master Kenway are already teaching them the basics with their Squires helping. Hopefully the Brotherhood doesn't really have that much power yet and won't move for a few more years. We should have time to prepare and hopefully we will have a couple of more masters and many more knights to combat them." Ash nodded in agreement just before Zygarde popped out of its pokéball and glowed green. Within moments seven cells rushed towards it and merged into the core. The gore glowed before transforming into a dog like form with black green skin.

"Congratulations Zygarde. Now you can fight!" Ash said getting a nod from Zygarde.

" _Everyone here is destroying the canyon. Luckily there aren't any living things here. But through one of my cells, I saw a man, a woman and a Meowth planting dynamites. I advise that you warn people here about an imminent landslide!"_

"You do that Brunner, I will go and head them off with Zygarde. Hopefully Pikachu and Ryuujin will be able to keep them busy till we get there!" Ash said before he and Zygarde ran towards the place where Zygarde last saw Team Rocket at.

"Let's go Jerry, Pikachu! We need to alert everyone to the danger!"

"Alright Master!" Selwyn said before both humans and their Pokémon partners ran towards the announcement system.

* * *

"Stop right there, Team Rocket! Do you know what you are about to do?" Ash called out as Lily and his friends reached the place. A staff of blue aura in Lily's hands. The other with pokéball in theirs.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started just before Zygarde roared before rushing towards the group, a blur to everyone's vision. As Zygarde rammed into the group, Meowth accidentally let the detonator fall from his hand. Sadly, for everyone there, the detonator landed with its button facing down. With an electronic beep the explosives exploded causing cracks to appear on the ground all around the group.

"Nobody move a muscle!' Ash exclaimed as he prepared to levitate everyone off the danger zone.

"Gible!" Ryuujin called out as he and Pikachu ran toward the group.

"No Ryuujin, Pikachu stop!" Ash exclaimed but he was too late. The little dragon and Pikachu had already made it to the crumbling ground. With a terrifying crack, the whole floor gave away causing everyone to fall into a subterranean cavern. Ash was able to use his psychic powers along with Pikachu's help to gently lower everyone down to the cavern floor.

" _You fools! Do you know what that could have done?"_ Zygarde roared directing his ire at Team Rocket, scaring them. Meowth was about to shakily reply only for everyone to be attacked by pressurized jets of water and rainbow colored beams of freezing cold energy. Ash, Lily and Pikachu were quick to put a multilayered barrier of aura. After the attacks faded, the tri let the shield drop.

"Everyone alright?" Ash asked with concern as he stared into the shadows of the cavern. The whole group was surrounded with glowing red eyes glaring at them.

"We are alright thanks to you, Pikachu and Lily," Misty said but Brock continued in a stutter. "Though it seems that we seem to have angered some kind of cave dwelling Pokémon!"

"No need to state the obvious Brock!" Clio said getting ready to release his team. Leaf and Misty weren't far behind, having already released their strongest Pokémon. Venusaur for Leaf and Starmie for Misty. Ash on the other had only released his Charmeleon with Pikachu, Ryuujin and Zygarde, he didn't think it necessary to release any more Pokémon. Jessy, James and Meowth, on the other hand, were huddling behind Lily. The blonde girl had a staff of blue aura in her hands, ready to attack any of the creatures if they ventured to close to them.

" _This isn't good. Of all the years I have kept an eye on this Canyon, I never realized that there were hibernating Pokémon here from millennia ago. If the Aerodactyl flock lived and I have no reason to doubt that, then we are in real danger. They are very territorial and are carnivores. We would be a buffet after their long slumber!"_

"Will you cut it out Zygarde! You are freaking everyone out with your rambling," Ash said though his expression showed that he himself was not too sure about this situation. "Lily here take Ferrum and Midori. If you find yourself needing a breather, call them out!"

"Thanks Ash," Lily responded as she caught the two Guardian Balls Ash threw her way.

"Pikachu light the place up with **Flash**!" Ash commanded causing the small mouse to glow bright white, illuminating the whole cavern in white light.

"Tops!"

"Nyte!"

"Star!"

"Kabuto!"

The Fossil Pokémon called out as their eyes were assaulted by the bright light. During their disorientation, Ash asked Pikachu to launch his next attack. "Pikachu call forth **Zeus's Judgement**!"

" _Oh yeah! Eat lightning!"_ Pikachu called out mentally as he floated into the air. His body covered in a nimbus of blue lightning. After a moment of charging, Pikachu launched a massive wave of blue electricity that filled up the whole cavern, shocking everything it touched. Thankfully for the humans and their Pokémon companions, Ash and Lily had put up another double layered **Aura Barrier**. After the attack faded, everyone saw the scorch marks on the rocks ground and wall of the cavern.

" _That's one powerful Pikachu. He should be able to give Zekrom a challenge._ "

" _Thanks Zekrom. Now what do we do with them?"_

"They should have calmed down by the time they wake up. I say we treat them and leave them to what they were doing in the past. The ones still awake, let's see if any of them want to join us. What do you say guys?"

"I have no problems with that. You can't ever have enough Rock Pokémon," Brock said with a smile. "I also always had dreams of training the Kanto Fossil Pokemon!"

"If they aren't fire types, then you can have them. Unless one of them really want to come with me," Ash nodded to Clio's statement. Leaf replied with a similar statement to Clio's.

"Then you will have to revive your fossil Leaf as Lileep and Cradily are the only Grass type Fossil Pokémon." Lily nodded in understanding.

"I don't care about Aerodactyl, but I wouldn't mind a Kabuto, Omanyte or their evolved forms on my team."

"I just want an Aerodactyl, but I don't think that the ones here will be right to capture. I will just search for a fossilized remains of Aerodactyl," Gary said after a moment of thought.

"We wouldn't mind a couple of Fossil Pokémon!' Jessie spoke up only to get the stink eye from everyone present.

" _You don't deserve anything! It's because of you that these innocent Pokémon have been awakened from the millennia long slumber. Be happy that they are just irritable and were not really trying to harm us,"_ Zygarde said getting a fearful nod from Team Rocket.

"After this is over we are turning you over to the police," Ash said with anger. "I have grown tired of your idiotic acts. I have sensed that you are good at heart. You have only been dealt a bad hand by fate, but you haven't even tried to change your path. The longer you stay, the more difficult it will be for you to leave the dark path. Both of you have the potential to become powerful Aura Guardians, but you only waste that potential. As of this moment I am done with giving you chances."

" _Hey guys it seems that some of them are want to get out and see the world again? The have agreed to join us, if we want them that is!"_

Everyone turned to see Lily talking with some of the downed Fossil Pokémon, now much calmer than they originally were. She had already healed the unconscious ones and was healing the ones awake. All of them looked powerful in their own right.

"Alright Lily! After they are healed up, why don't you ask them to come forward. We would love to have them with us!" Brock said, smiling with the others nodding in agreement.

"Now Team Rocket," Ash began only for Jessie and James to interrupt with anger. Their eyes glowing with smoldering anger. James's normally green eyes glowing a cerulean blue with Jessie's indigo eyes changing to cerulean blue and glowing.

"What do you even know about us, huh twerp?" Jessie asked her eyes glowing more.

"Do you think we wanted a life like this? Being criminals was the last thing we wanted!" James continued, his eyes glowing brighter with every moment. Everyone stared in shock at their response.

"I have been an orphan since I was four! My mother was a top ranking Executives in Team Rocket under Madam Boss. Once she was sent on some mission and she never came back. I had dreamed to become a Pokémon Nurse, but since I didn't have enough money, I was forced to join a Pokémon Nursing School. A school at which Chansey, Audino and similar Pokémon learn. Even then I was able to go far and nearly graduated. The only reason I failed was because I couldn't use **Sing** to soothe Pokémon. After that I Pokémon Tech where I met James for the first time. We were unable to keep up and dropped out soon after. After leaving we joined a Bicycle Gang at Sunny Town. After a couple of years of riding with the gang, we left to follow our own way! I have worked as a model, a Weather Girl in Hoenn Now and other short term jobs. All contract basis."

"I don't know what happened to Jessie after leaving the gang, but we met up again in Team Rocket. I know that I joined because I didn't want to be found by my overbearing parents," James continued getting a raised eyebrow from the group.

"Let me guess, you are the heir to a rich, probably a noble family. You ran away to get away from the rules, right?" Ash asked with an expression asking for James to challenge his guess.

"That's right! I am forced into an engagement that I don't want. An engagement my parents manipulated me into using my fleeting crush on my fiancée. Anyway after running away with Jessie, you know that I joined the Bicycle Gang. After that, as I said, I joined Team Rocket as a way to get paid. It's not like I condone crime; I just don't have any choice. Neither does Jessie for that matter! So you tell me what should we do?"

"If we leave Team Rocket; the boss will have us hunted down and silenced! Do you think you will be able to protect us from THAT!" Jessie roared out as a small shockwave of aura erupted out of her. Within moments, the magenta haired woman had fainted, but before she could fall onto the unforgiving ground, James had already caught her as he glared at Ash and his friends.

"I don't know what happened to her but if you are responsible for it, then you will have hell to pay for hurting my only human friend!" James said with his eyes brightly glowing.

"Calm down James. She will be fine. You both have just awakened your aura from the stressful situation you have been put in. this was what I was talking about. Now I didn't know your history, so I apologize in thinking that you aren't trying to change your ways. Now Jessie asked that how will I be able to protect you from Team Rocket hunting you down." James nodded in agreement as he slowly calmed down. Beside him Meowth was keeping a close eye on the others accompanying Ash.

"If you are ready to truly try and change your ways, I will have you inducted into the Order. I doubt even the Boss of Team Rocket is crazy enough to draw the wrath of the Order. Each of the masters alone can fight toe-to-toe with legendary Pokémon like Mew, the Titan Trio, the Golem Trio and the Eon Duo. I myself can go toe-to-toe with Mew. Our most experienced Aura Partners are nearly as strong as us. So you tell us, do you think there are any members in Team Rocket that will be able to really do anything if the Order decides to poke our noses in their business. Make no mistake, we will do that when we find out who the leader is, but till then let them sweat it out. I already took down one of Team Rockets Top Executives. Ariana I believe. We already know who Black Tulip is. She is probably an unrealized Aura User and we know how she looks. We already have an eye out for her. It will be just a matter of time before Team Rocket is finally disbanded. Now you tell me do you want to go to jail for being connected to Team Rocket, when they fall, or are you going to be there to personally bring them down?"

James stared with a contemplative look on his face. Meowth beside him was looking at Ash in surprise. In James's arm, Jessie was stirring from her faint, gently moaning out drawing everyone attention to everyone to the meganta haired woman.

"Ash all of them are fine now. These six are the ones wanting to join us," Lily said drawing everyone's attention to her and the group of six Pokémon behind her. There were two Omanyte, an Omastar, two Kabuto and a Kabutops.

"Alright guys who do you want to join? Just know that Lily, Clio, Gary, Leaf and Team Rocket don't really want you but will take you in if you want," Ash said pointing to the specified people. After a few moments of deliberation and whispering between themselves the Kabutops walked forward.

" _I want to travel under you. All of your cast seem to be very powerful. I want to join you so that I can become just as powerful. Omastar wants the same as me. He wants to become stronger. The others will approach whose cast they want to join."_

"Alright Kabutops and Omastar, welcome to the family!" Ash said as he took out two Guardian Balls and gently touched them to Kabutops's head and Omastar's Shell. In flashes of red light, both living fossils were absorbed into the balls and with a ping both balls signified capture. As Ash was acquiring his new living fossils, a Kabuto and Omanyte pair approached Misty and Brock each. With smiles, Misty and Brock quickly caught them gaining a Kabuto and an Omanyte each.

"Twerp we have come to a final decision. We want to leave Team Rocket and join the Order. We will even give you all we know about Team Rocket and its operations we are aware of." Ash stared at James with a scrutinizing stare before using a light touch of telepathy to see if they were truthful. Seeing that they were truly hones about turning over a new leaf, Ash nodded.

"Alright then. After we get out of here, you will join Master Brunner in his journey to Cameran Palace. After arriving there, you will be taken under the tutelage of Masters Lucario and Kenway. You both have great potential. Hopefully by the end of the summer, you will be promoted to Adept. After that it will be up to you to keep practicing and mastering your abilities. Know this that unless specifically given a mission, an Aura Guardian is free to move about and do whatever they like as long as its legal and doesn't bring shame to the Order. Lucario and Kenway will fill you in on all of your duties as Guardians. I will visit Cameran by the end of Summer. I shall bring an Agent from the International Police and an Officer Jenny to take your statements on all that you know about Team Rocket. I advise that you write everything down."

"Thank you kid! You won't regret it!" Jessie said with a genuine smile. Life finally seemed to be taking an upturn for her.

"I just have to ask; what will happen if my parents and unwanted fiancée find out?" James asked with a shudder.

"What family do you belong to anyway?"

"The Kojirou Clan," James stated with pride. Ash just smirked in mirth.

"Then you have no problems. As a minor noble family under Rota, my cousin has a bit of say over what they do. As the heir of the family, you joining the Order makes it easier for her to interfere. If you want, you can lodge an official complaint against your parents. That's all up to you, but I would hold off from complaining until you become a Knight, Second Class. Adepts are Knight, Third Class."

"Thank you Grandmaster. I will make sure to not disappoint you along with my friends! Ah… Now that I realize it, what will happen to Meowth?"

"Every Pokémon has the ability to use aura. Some are just more strongly attuned to their aura naturally than others. Meowth, as he is able to talk like a human, shows that he has a very strong attunement to his aura. He should be able to become an aura user very quickly. That is if he what. If not, he can train under Master Lucario to become a better fighter as a Pokémon."

"Thank yee! I was wondering 'bout that as well. I would lov' to become a Guardian."

"There you have it. Now everyone pace yourselves. I am about to lift up out of the cavern four at a time." Ash said before Jessei, James, Meowth and Zygarde glowed with a psychic blue aura before being lifted up into the air. After they were out of the cavern, Ash proceeded to lift Misty, Lily, Leaf and Clio. After the four were safely out. Ash lifted Brock and Gary out of the cavern.

"Oi Ryuujin, where are you?" Ash called out cursing in his mind for taking his eyes off the little dragon. "You see him Pikachu?"

" _No but I sense him in one of the tunnels. He seems to be chewing on some rocks again,"_ Pikachu explained with a sigh. Around the two, the unconscious fossils were waking up and looking around in confusion. Beside them the ones that were awake but didn't join anyone were telling them what happened when a cacophony of roars rang out in the cavern just before a beam of orange energy blasted out of one of the side tunnels. Specifically, the tunnel which Ryuujin was exploring.

"RYUUJIN!" Ash called out as he rushed towards the little dragon. As he approached the little dragon, he saw that the stubborn little dragon was still awake and faintly glowing with a yellow light. It seemed that Ryuujin was using **Rest** to heal up. As Ash was examining Ryuujin, Charmeleon came out of his pokéball and attentively stared at the tunnel Ryuujin was blasted out of. As he watched the tunnel, he observed that the other Fossil Pokémon were quickly making themselves scarce.

"Charmeleon meleon!" Charmeleon called out trying to get Ash's attention but to no avail. Luckily Pikachu wasn't as distracted and turned towards the tunnel as well, his cheeks sparking with yellow electricity. Eyes glowing an eerie blue.

" _Ash? Is the squirt healed up yet?"_

"Not yet. I am helping to accelerate the process. Why?"

" _Because we are about have company. Three powerful Aerodactyl, if I am sensing this right."_

"Damn! If they attack, try and hold them back you two. I will see to it that Ryuujin is healed up soon." Ash said as he increased the amount of healing aura he was pumping into the little dragon. For the next couple of minutes, the two Pokémon kept up their vigil as their trainer and friend healed up the little dragon. Finally, the yellow glow dimmed as the little dragon opened his eyes, revealing his rage at his attackers.

"Alright guys I am about to **Teleport** us out of here!" Ash said but was forced to dodge another beam of orange energy from the tunnel. Ryuujin, Pikachu and Charmeleon jumped in different directions to Ash. As they were getting up a terrible screech erupted in the cavern before three gray blurs flew out of the tunnel. The lead blur caught Ash in its claws and flew out of the hole in the top of the cavern. The other two following not far behind.

* * *

"Hey what was that?" Misty asked after hearing a muffled roar from inside the cavern.

"I don't know, but that didn't sound very good!" Lily exclaimed before using her **Aura Sight** to see what was happening. "It seems that Ryuujin has been injured. He is using **Rest** ; I believe the move is called. Ash is augmenting the process with healing aura."

" _This isn't good. I think that the Aerodactyl Flock is awake. They must get out of there soon. The Flock leader is very strong. I would say as strong as Charmeleon is at this moment. The other two aren't far behind in terms of strength._ "

"You don't really know how to inspire confidence, do you?"

" _I won't sugarcoat something so that you will feel better about yourselves. That will only harm you in the long run. What was that!"_ Zygarde called out as three gray blurs flew out of the hole in the canyon floor. Within moments Pikachu, Charmeleon and Ryuujin flew out of the hole covered in blue psychic energy.

"What happened? Where's Ash?" Brock asked Pikachu who had a grip expression on his face.

"Ash is in the lead Aerodactyl's claws. He seems to have hit his head on a rock or something because he is unconscious." Lily said getting a gasp from the others. Charmeleon and Ryuujin growled out before roaring their defiance at the three ancient fossils. Simultaneously they were covered in the light of evolution. Both grew large and into draconic forms.

When the light faded, instead of Charmeleon there stood a large orange dragon with two horns, though smaller than Blaze. Beside him stood Ryuujin. Now more draconic than his previous form. With a large fin on his back and a smaller one on his tail. Fins on his one clawed arms and two rugby ball shaped protrusions on his head. With a nod to each other the two Pokémon rushed towards their targets with Pikachu not far behind, flying beside the two draconian Pokémon.

" _Charizard distract the leader, kid distract his wingmen. I will get Ash out of the way. Then you two can truly test out your new powers!"_ Pikachu ordered before flying off toward lead Aerodactyl, who was now making towards the cliffs at the top of the canyon.

On the ground, the others watched as Pikachu, Charizard and Ryuujin quickly acted. Pikachu waited for Ryuujin to draw the other two's attention before moving in. Ryuujin grinned before launching a massive wave of green dragon fire at the two Fossil Pokémon scoring direct hits. With roars of anger, the two Aerodactyl turned and tried to double team the Cave Pokémon only for a dark blue beam of energy to hit one of them from the ground.

Zygarde kept an eye on the Aerodactyl he struck with his **Hyper** **Beam** , hoping that a single beam would be enough to take it down. Unfortunately for everyone, though the Aerodacty looked tired and injured, she was still flying. Her anger was palpable as she set her eyes on Zygarde. With a roar, she was covered in an aura of purple and orange energy before diving downwards to the Order Pokémon.

"That's **Giga Imapct**! If that hits Zygarde, he will be hurt, even if he is a Legendary Pokémon!" Brock exclaimed getting gasps from everyone. As everyone watched the diving Aerodactyl, Charizad on the other hand had already successfully distracted the lead Aerodactyl by launching sea blue orbs, his **Hidden Power** finally being revealed.

Seeing the approaching orbs, the lead Aerodactyl ignored them thinking that they weren't any danger to himself. To his surprise and shock, each of the orbs crashed into his body causing small splashes to riddle his body with painful welts. With a roar of defiance, the Aerodactyl turned to Charizard and launched a massive beam of orange energy. As the **Hyper** **Beam** was quickly approaching the Flame Pokémon, Charizard opened his mouth wide before releasing a veritable ocean of crimson flames instead of his normal orange ones.

"By Arceus, Charizard has gotten stronger. Didn't he lose control of those crimson flames last time?" Clio asked in awe as he saw Charizard's **Flamethrower** easily counter the powerful **Hyper Beam**. An explosion occurred that shrouded the dueling Pokémon in smoke. As everyone stared in anticipation, Pikachu suddenly teleported in with an unconscious Ash.

" _Brock! Lily! I will leave Ash in your care. I have some unfinished business with a couple of overgrown fossils!"_ Pikachu said before his whole body was shrouded in blue lightning. With a crackle of blue electricity, Pikachu was already gone charging towards the Aerodactyl Ryuujin was battling.

Zygarde howled as he summoned up a massive sand storm before quickly digging into the earth to hide himself. The Aerodactyl he enraged didn't seem to realizes that her target had already vanished, so she kept diving. With a massive boom, Aerodactyl crashed into the ground causing shockwaves and cracks to emanate from the crash site. While it was disoriented, Zygarde launched out of the ground, his body covered in the red aura of **Superpower**. With a strength beguiling his frame, Zygarde bit into the Aerodactyl's neck and started viciously shaking her. Within moments Aerodactyl was knocked out from the vicious thrashing Zygarde gave. With a final heave, he threw the female Aerodactyl out of his conjured sandstorm and right in front of the group.

Everyone turned to see Zygarde come out of the localized sandstorm panting heavily. Approaching the downed Aerodactyl, Zygarde placed a paw on her back and roared out a challenge to the other two Aerodactyl hoping to anger them. His roar was answered by two enraged roars from the other Aerodactyl, but unfortunately for them, Ryuujin, Pikachu and Charizard were already preventing them from attacking Zygarde.

" _Eat_ _ **Dragon Pulse**_ _!"_ Ryuujin called out before releasing a compressed turquoise orb of draconic energy. The covered the distance between the Aerodactyl and himself before his opponent could even react. The orb struck the Aerodactyl in the chest and exploded throwing her back. Seeing his opponent disoriented, Ryuujin didn't waste any time and charged at the large flying Pokémon enshrouded in an aura of turquoise draconic energy in the form of dragon.

"That's one powerful Gabite. Whose is it?" A man asked startling the group. Everyone turned to see a spiky red haired man standing behind them with a massive Dragonite beside him. The man wore a blue suit with orange color around his sleeves and on the chest area. He also wore a dark belt around his waist, some brown boots with orange heels, and a brown cloak, which is red on the inside.

"Your Lance Wataru the Joint Champion of Johto and Kanto!" Clio shouted out in awe causing everyone to stare wide eyed at the man. Lance chuckled at the groups expression before turning serious.

"That's right, though Kanto hasn't had a Champion since Blue Oak died. Now can one of you answer my question?"

"That's Ash's Gabite, Ryuujin. He has been raising him for the past three of months. Though I am surprised that Gible evolved into Gabite this quickly. Don't Dragon Type Pokémon need extensive hardcore training before evolving?" Brock asked as he finally finished administering to Ash. Lily on the other hand was still using healing aura to quickly heal all of Ash's injuries.

"That's right unless the dragon type is already really powerful. The Grachomp evolutionary line is notorious for their tenacious nature and strong will. Ryuujin could have willed himself to reach the limit and evolve before want most of his natural kind reaches their limit. Does Ryuujin know how to manipulate aura?"

" _Yes he does. He has been training in that since he was a week old. Starting aura training so young actually helps the user quickly acclimatize to their aura. That may be the reason the brat evolved so quickly."_ Zygarde said getting Lance to turn to the dog like Pokémon in shock.

"Zygarde! It's an honor to meet a legendary dragon type Pokémon like you. Are you the guardian of Kanto?" Lance asked in shock.

" _That's right. I joined Ash a couple of weeks ago after he offered me the security to regain my other cells. Already I have 10% of them collected. Anyway, I believe that Ryuujin evolved because of his skills in aura manipulation. Now let's see what the little one can do."_

As everyone was distracted by Lance's arrival, Ryuujin didn't even react as he rammed into his disoriented opponent with his **Dragon Rush**. An explosion occurred hiding the two Pokémon in a shroud of smoke. From within the smoke, loud roars could be heard along with Ryuujin's muffled growling, as if he had something in his mouth. As the smoke cleared, everyone could see that Ryuujin was biting into the neck of the trashing and roaring Aerodactyl. His body glowing with the blue-white aura of **Strength**. Finally, after a few more moments of thrashing, Ryuujin used all of his strength to flip them vertically. As the two were falling towards the ground, Ryuujin's belly seemed to glow with an intense orange glow.

"Is that **Draco Meteor**?" Lance asked in shock as his Dragonite watched in awe as the younger dragon showed power and skills more common in seasoned Pokémon.

"Ryuujin has been trying to learn **Draco Meteor** for some time now," Ash said, startling everyone as they didn't realize that he was already awake. "He has a fifty-fifty chance of it working. He hasn't learned how to make it stable yet."

"Still how old is he really? Your friend told me that he is barely three months old. Is that true?" Ash just nodded causing Lance to stare in shock. "A three month old Gible evolving into Gabite is shocking but not unheard of, but to be learning **Draco Meteor** with a 50% success rate is truly shocking. Even out of my two Dragonite, only my starter here has mastered **Draco Meteor**. Her mate still need a long time before he is ready to use it."

"Looks like Ryuujin has finally mastered **Draco Meteor** ," Ash observed causing everyone to turn back to the sky to see a perfectly stable orb of orange draconic energy burning into the back of the Aerodactyl, causing it to quickly rise into the sky. Moments later the orb exploded in to a multitude of raining orange meteors of draconic energy. Many of them striking the Aerodactyl Ryuujin was fighting. Though she survived the initial explosion, the additional meteors finally caused her to succumb to her injuries. As she was falling for the sky a pokéball struck her and absorbed her into it. With a moment of flashing a ping was heard signifying a capture. Everyone turned to the one threw the pokéball with a blank stare.

"What? If I didn't capture her, she would have been even more hurt and I did say that I wanted an Aerodactyl on my team!" Gary said with a smug smile. Everyone shook their heads at the arrogant boy before turning their attention back to the final fight.

" _Great job kid now take a rest!"_ Pikachu said to the panting Cave Pokémon before rushing towards Charizard who had his neck grasped in the lead Aerodactyl's claws. With a small nod Ryuujin flew back to the group and landed beside Zygarde before turning his attention to the final fight.

" _Great job kid. You have truly shown the power of us Dragons!"_ Zygarde said with pride in the young dragon getting a happy nod from him.

"That's right Ryuujin. You have surpassed everyone's expectation of you. Cherry will be proud of you!" Ash said before eyeing the downed Aerodactyl. Still unconscious form the beating Zygarde gave. "We should capture the other two Aerodactyl as well or they can become a danger to human and Pokémon alike. Why don't you capture this one Brock?"

"Don't you want her?"

"Nah! None of the Aerodactyl have the right Aura compatibility with me. It would only harm them instead of help them," Brock nodded before he took out a pokéball and touched it to the head of the unconscious Aerodactyl. Within seconds she was absorbed into it in a read flash and a ping resounded signifying capture. The Aerodactyl was so tired that she didn't even fight being captured. "So Lance what are you doing here?"

"I came to see if I could get my hands on an Old Amber or an Aerodactyl Fossil. I never imagined I would see living ones rampaging through here." Ash chuckled before turning back to the fight in the air.

"You can capture the one Charizard and Pikachu are battling. As I said none of them have the right compatibility with me."

"Thanks Ash!"

As they chatted, Pikachu had struck the lead Aerodactyl with an **Iron Tail** , causing him to release Charizard. The Flame Pokémon roared in anger before his body glowed with a red aura as his tail fire grew to monstrous proportions and changed color to crimson red. With another roar, Charizard released an even more massive wave of crimson fire that washed over the distracted Aerodactyl. Pikachu taking the chance to teleport himself to Charizard's head.

" _This is becoming ridiculous! It must be at least Elite Level! How can a wild Pokémon that isn't a legendary be this strong?"_

" _Don't ask me Pikachu. I am wondering the same thing. Do you think I should try a_ _ **Blast Burn**_ _? I know that I haven't mastered it but that didn't stop Ryuujin from using_ _ **Draco Meteor**_ _!"_

" _Do it, just get in close. Even if you fail, the resultant explosion will give a chance to finally put this sucker down._ ' Pikachu said before flying up into the air. His body bursting with crackling blue lightning. With a roar, Charizard quickly rushed the burned and dazed Aerodactyl.

Looking up in surprise, the Fossil Pokémon roared out in anger before charging towards Charizard with his body enshrouded in an aura of orange and purple spiraling energy. Just before they collided, Charizard reared back his fist and smacked it right into the energy clad Aerodactyl's face. A massive burst of crimson fires formed from the punch before an explosion shook the whole area. Form the smoke Charizard fell towards the ground, suddenly catching himself, he landed harshly on the ground. After panting for a few moments, he looked up and saw the Aerodactyl struck by blue lightning originating from a small orb of the same lightning.

" _Eat this!_ _ **Thor's Vengence**_ _!"_ Pikachu's mental voice rang through the whole canyon as the bolt of concentrated blue lightning struck the tired Aerodactyl before another explosion occurred. When the smoke cleared they saw a green barrier protecting Aerodactyl from the explosion. Just as the barrier dissipated, Pikachu slammed into Aerodactyl with his body enshrouded in blue lightning. As he rammed into the startled Fossil Pokémon, an explosion of legendary proportions occurred before Aerodactyl fell towards the ground, unconscious. Lance didn't wait as he threw a pokéball and quickly captured the Aerodactyl. As the smoke cleared, everyone saw Pikachu still floating, his body covered in burns and the occasional blue lightning from the recoil damage. After making sure that his opponent was unconscious, Pikachu teleported to Ash and fell into his lap.

" _That's was the best battle I have had in a while, but I didn't think that_ _ **Rampaging Typhon**_ _would have had that much of a recoil! I think that I will have a bit of a nap if that alright with everyone,"_ Pikachu said before he fell asleep, his body glowing with the yellow aura of **Rest**.

"At least he didn't get knocked out from the strain he put on his body. Great job Ryuujin, Charizard. I would advise that you both use **Rest** as well. After everyone is healed up, I think that it would be wise to get the league to declare this place as a reserve for living Fossil Pokémon." Ash said with serious expression getting a nod from everyone.

"I can understand why, but how many do you sense Ash?"

"There is a whole underground ecosystem here. There are numerous Casts of Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte and Omastar. With a couple of more flocks of Aerodactyl. I think I can sense a few casts of Armaldo as well," Ash said his eyes glowing with blue aura.

"Alright I will tell Mr. Goodshow after I reach the League HQ. Now I have a question for you Ash, may ask it?"

"Sure go on ahead!"

"Are you planning to become the youngest Regional Champion since Blue Oak?"

"If I win the Indigo League this year, then I will take the Elite Four Challenge at the end of summer. Does that answer your question Lance?" Lance just nodded. "Now why did you ask about my plans if you don't mind?"

"Your Pokémon are quickly become Elite Level with Pikachu easily a Champion Level Pokémon. You have a Zygarde with you. Need I say more? Thou you do know that you won't be eligible to challenge the Elite Four if you win the League with even one Legendary Pokémon participating in your battles. Even if the legendary loses."

"Good observation Lance, but you only saw Pikachu. I have over six Pokémon that are Champion Level already. Hopefully by the end of summer we will be satisfied with their training before challenging the Elite Four. And for the regulation, I already knew that. I don't plan to use Zygarde or my Ho-oh, Rianbow." Lance stared in shock before realizing who he was talking to.

"Good thing you know because I want a challenge. Now about your Champion Level Pokémon, you mean your Gyarados, Serperior, Lucario, other Charizard and your Gengar?"

"Ah ah ah! That is a secret. I don't think that it is wise of me to revel my strongest team to you, especially because I am going to challenge you in the near future." Lance laughed at Ash's statement before picking up Aerodactyl's pokéball and getting on Dragonite. Before taking off Lance turned back to the group.

"While I am flying, I am going to call the G-Men and have them secure the place. Tell everyone that this place is as of this moment inaccessible to unauthorized people. The G-Men should be here by nightfall."

"Sure thing Lance. I will spread the news. Have a safe trip you two!" Ash said as Lance' Dragonite flew off into the sky. "It seems that Ryuujin and Charizard has finally finished healing themselves. So how about we get to inform the people to prepare to leave?"

"Sure thing Ash. I just want to get out of this place!" Misty said and tried to walk towards the main tent before she tripped on a rock cluster. Getting up with a red face, Misty was about to kick the cluster only to come face to face with two Pokémon eggs. Carefully picking them up, she took the eggs back to the group. "Hey guys look what I found! Do you think that they are eggs of the one of the fossil Pokémon?"

"Not at all Misty. Those are the eggs of a Togepi, the Happiness Pokémon. Their final evolved form, Togekiss tend to be good Aura Partners for the more empathetic Guardians." Ash said with a smile as he scanned the eggs with his aura. As everyone watched Ash and Misty, Lily was in a trance as she walked towards the pair, eyes glowing blue. Before anyone realized she took one of the eggs form Misty and started sending aura into the egg in a specific pattern.

"Hey Lily, what are you doing?"

"Shhh… Misty it seems that this is Lily's Aura Partner's egg. She is in a trance. The egg is calling to her." Ash said getting wide eyed looks from everyone. Ryuujin, Charizard and Zygarde were staring at the scene from a distance. After five minutes, Lily finally stopped pulsing her aura and snapped out of her trance. Before she could even take in the situation, the egg in her arms glowed and hatched into a Togepi with yellowish white skin and the color of the patterns swapped, red with blue and vice-versa.

"That's a shiny Togepi! Congratulations Lily. You now have your Aura Partner. Take care of her." Lily just smiled at the little Spiked Ball Pokémon before hugging her to her chest. Lily didn't even pay attention to what everyone else was doing, totally lost in the eyes of the little Pokémon in her arms.


	11. Chapter 10 - Evolution and Riddles

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Evolution and Riddles**

"There you go Togepi," Misty said as she handed the Spiked Ball Pokémon a small chunk of pokéchow. A couple of days ago, the other egg had hatched. Leaf and Brock had gotten into a battle on who would be keeping the young Pokémon but to both trainer's immense shock, Togepi imprinted on Misty. That couased Ash to declare that Togepi would be raised by Misty, getting an enthusiastic agreement form the red-haired water type specialist. Brock and Leaf, on the other hand, weren't pleased but accepted Ash's judgement.

"It seems that she is more energetic than my Togepi!" Lily observed as she herself feed her own Togepi. Misty nodded with a smile before cooing at Togepi. Lily doing the same to her Togepi.

"It seems that those two are closer than ever," Brock said, as he stirred the stew he was cooking. Beside him, Clio nodded as he cut up some herbs the aspiring breeder asked him to.

"Not really surprising. They were good friends, but I have seen Pokémon bring people closer together. Raising two baby Pokémon, especially the same species seems to have created a stronger bond between the two."

"Very wise of you Clio. If I didn't know better, I would say that you were an Aura Guardian!" Ash said as he and Pikachu walked up with his Kabutops and Omastar following behind him. Kabutops had a look of satisfaction on her face. Omastar, on the other hand, seemed to be a bit down.

"Hey Ash! Had a good training session?" Leaf asked as she stood up after finishing brushing her Eevee's fur. The little Evolution Pokémon was waving her tail in happiness.

"A good session, though Omastar didn't get a good training session in. Their species aren't known for their grace on land. He had a bit of trouble learning **Iron Defense**. "Don't worry buddy. You will have the move down soon. Then we can get to perfecting your moves."

"Oma!" Omastar exclaimed in happiness. Kabutops and Pikachu nodding in agreement.

"So when's lunch Brock?"

"A couple of hours still. I will call you when it's done," Brock said, turning to face Ash after putting the last of the herbs Clio handed into the stew. "Thanks for the help Clio. You can go now. I can handle the rest."

"Alright Brock. I think that I will go and see if there are any fire types close by. We are close to the border between Kanto and Johto. There should be a couple of Houndour scrounging about. I will be back in a couple of hours." The boy said as he walked away. The group nodded before Leaf turned to Ash with a smile.

"So? How about that battle?"

"Huh! Oh you mean the battle between my Bulbasaur and Exeggcute vs your Dartrix and Eevee? Sure thing. Hey everyone, Leaf and I are going to have that double battle now. Misty, can you be the Referee?"

"Sure thing Ash! Let me just wipe Togepi's mouth. Why don't you two get ready?" with a nod both Pallet town natives walked off towards the edge of the field.

* * *

"Are both trainers ready?" Misty called out from the side. Togepi in her arms. Lily was standing beside her with her own Togepi cheering in her arms. Pikachu, Kabutops and Omastar were standing beside the blonde girl, keen eyes locked onto their trainer and his opponent. In the field were Bulbasaur and Exeggcute on Ash's side and Dartrix and Eevee on Leaf's side. Getting a nod from both Pallet town trainers, Misty called for the battle to start.

"BEGIN!"

"Bulbasaur charge at Eevee with **Double-Edge**!" with a loud shout, the Seed Pokémon charged at Evolution Pokémon with an ominous yellow glow covering his body. "Exeggcute help with **Sunny Day**!" The Egg Pokémon launched an orb of yellow energy into the sky, causing the sunlight to brighten. Suddenly the speed at which Bublasaur was charging his target doubled.

"Eevee counter Bulbasaur with your own **Double-Edge**! Dartrix use **Shadow Claw** on Exeggcute!" Leaf commanded causing Eevee to charge at Bulbasaur with her own body glowing with a similar ominous glow, only brighter. As the tow clashed against each other, the Blade Quill Pokémon flew over the pair, talons covered in black energy. Ready to shred through the Egg Pokémon.

"Hang in there Bulbasaur! You can do it!" Ash cheered as he waited for Dartrix to reach closer. "Now Exeggcute use **Gravity** and when Dartrix is grounded use **Sleep Powder**!"

With an indignant squawk Dartrix crashed into the ground as Exeggcute's eyes glowed blue. As the Blade Quill Pokémon tried to get up, stunned form the sudden crash, he was doused in green powder by Exeggcute. At the same time an explosion occurred throwing back Eevee and Bulbasaur. Both were harshly panting with blue lightning flowing over their bodies. The result of the recoil damage they took form powerful move.

"No Dartrix! Eevee!" Leaf called out in concern.

"Alright Exeggcute end Dartrix with a **Dream Eater**!" Ash commanded before addressing his Bulbasaur, "You alright there, buddy?"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur called out before he straightened up, still panting a little. His opponent, Eevee was the same, standing proudly after recovering from the recoil.

"Dartrix you have got to wake up!" Leaf called out as the two Pokémon were recovering but unfortunately, Exeggcute launched the shadowy version of itself towards the sleeping Pokémon causing massive amount of damage to be inflicted to the Blade Quill Pokémon. Sadly, Dartrix was unable to survive the onslaught of the attack and fainted. Leaf just sighed before recalling the unconscious Pokémon. "Eevee use **Swift** on both Bulbasaur and Exeggcute! Follow it up with **Trump Card**!"

Eevee growled and released a wave of glowing stars at the two grass Pokémon on the field. Angry at the quick defeat of her teammate.

"Bulbasaur, Exeggcute use **Protect**!" Both Pokémon conjured up green shields that easily negated the barrage of stars before letting it fall. Unfortunately for the two, Eevee conjured up a number of glowing red cards of energy before launching them towards the two Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur use **Dig** to get away! Exeggcute try and counter Eevee with **Solar Beam**!" Ash called out calmly. Bulbasaur was easily able to dodge the attack by diving into the ground, unfortunately for Exeggcute, the Trump Card easily blasted through the beam of solar energy and collided with the Egg Pokémon causing a massive explosion to cover her in smoke.

"Now Eevee run around with **Quick Attack**!"

"Vui vui!" Eevee called out before taking off at an incredible pace, her body covered in a white aura. As Eevee was running around waiting for Bulbasaur to surface. While the Seed Pokémon and Evolution Pokémon were playing a game of cat and mouse, the smoke around Exeggcute cleared, she was seen unconscious form the powerful move.

"There in the center of the field use **Trump Card** again!"

"Evvvui!" Eevee called out as she conjured up another set of red energy cards and launched them towards the shocked Bulbasaur. As Leaf and Eevee watched the cards come ever closer to the seed Pokémon, they were caught off guard when both Bulbasaur and Ash smirked.

"Now Bulbasaur! Retaliate with **Frenzy Plant**!"

"Bulbaaaaasaur!" Bulbasaur chanted out as he raised his front feet before slamming them into the ground causing a massive amount of writhing wooden vines with spines to emerge from the ground and easily smash through Eevee's attack before smacking around the surprised Pokémon for a few moments. When the vines finally stopped flaying about, Eevee could be seen unconscious while Bulbasaur was nearly dead on his feet.

"Since Eevee and Dartrix is unable to battle, the victory goes to Ash, Bulbasaur and Exeggcute!" Misty called out with a smile.

"That was a great battle Ash. I learned a lot from you!" Leaf exclaimed with a smile.

"It was nothing Leaf. I just know my Pokémon well enough to know what to tell them and what they will be able to do. A good trainer just needs to connect with their Pokémon and learn their limits. Your connection is already strong. Else you wouldn't have been able to defeat Exeggcute and still nearly defeat Bulbasaur with only Eevee. The only mistake you made was having Dartrix come close to Exeggcute even though you know that Exeggcute learn stratus inducing moves early. Hopefully you won't make that mistake again."

"That's right. Even though Exeggcute is still not an elite level Pokémon, she took down Dartrix who has become nearly Elite level. That too with only two moves. I shouldn't have underestimated you. I don't plan to make the same mistake twice."

"Good for you Leaf and because of you, I now know not to charge in at Pokémon that are known to naturally learn stratus inducing moves. Also Brock is calling. Lunch is ready. Ash, can you send out Pidgeotto to find and bring Clio back?"

"Sure thing Misty. Come on out Pidgeotto!" Ash said, releasing his bird Pokémon. The cream and brown feathered bird just nodded and took flight, having heard everything from her pokéball.

* * *

"Sorry I am late guys! I got lost! Thanks for leading me back Pidgeotto," Clio said getting a nod from the regal bird, before Pidgeotto landed and started eating from a bowl Brock placed on the ground for her.

"So? Did you catch anything?" Lily asked after swallowing a spoon of the delicious stew Brock made. Clio nodded as he chewed on a couple of vegetables in his spoonful of stew. After swallowing, he smiled excitedly and brought out a pokéball.

"Come on out Houndoom!" Clio called out throwing the pokéball. In a flash of white light, a large black dog like Pokémon with two curved horns, back and ankles covered in bone plates and an arrow tipped tail emerged. Her eyes were red and sparked with an undying flame.

"Dooooom!" Houndoom called out barking only to for Pikachu to respond lazily.

" _Oh! Pipe down you over grown mutt! You aren't the strongest in this pack, so your bravado isn't appreciated. There are many of us here who can whoop your ass before you would even realize what happened!"_

"Be nice Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed with annoyance, "Just because you are powerful doesn't mean that you should abuse it. What would Angel think of your attitude?"

" _Please don't tell her!"_ Pikachu begged with fear, _"She will round up Cherry and Midori to teach me humility! I don't what that!"_

"Did Angel, Midori and Cherry ever discipline Pikachu before?" Lily asked Misty only to get a nod from the redhead.

"Last time was right after Pikachu awakened his psychic powers. He started abusing his powers until Angel got bored of it. The beat down that followed was legendary."

 _Houndoom  
The 'Dark Pokémon'_

 _In a Houndoom pack, the one with its horns raked sharply towards the back serves a leadership role. These Pokémon choose their leader by fighting amongst themselves. Upon hearing its eerie howls, other Pokémon get the shivers and head straight back to their nests. It is said that if you are burned by the flames it shoots from its mouth, the pain will never go away._ _Long ago, people imagined its eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper._

 _This Houndoom is Female and has the Ability 'Flash Fire'_

 _This Houndoom knows the following moves:_

 _Ember, Thunder Fang, Howl, Smog, Roar, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Beat Up, Fire Fang, Feint Attack, Embargo, Foul Play,  
Flamethrower, Crunch, Nasty Plot, Inferno, Heat Wave, Hyper Voice, Iron Tail, Throat Chop, Uproar_

 _Its Egg moves; Counter, Destiny Bond, Feint, Sucker Punch are all unlocked._

Everyone turned to see Clio with his Pokédex out and pointing at the irate Houndoom.

"What? I was curious. I didn't get to scan her yet." Everyone just shook their heads before returning back to their meals. Brock quickly placed a bowl of food for Houndoom before joining everyone. Houndoom stared at the bowl in suspicion before sniffing it. After being sure that it wasn't some kind of trick, she gave off a small happy bark and wag of her tail, Houndoom quickly dug in.

As she was eating, she subtly stared around the clearing and took note of everyone there. It seemed that other than the six humans, there were a multitude of different Pokémon. What truly caught her off guard were the presence of a Ho-oh and black and green dog like Pokémon giving off the same aura of a legendary Pokémon. the collection of fire, water, grass and rock types were also surprising but not as much as the presence of the two fully evolved Charizard and a Charmeleon discussing something in hushed roars and growls. So interested in all the Pokémon, she was unable to detect someone standing beside her till they spoke.

"Are you really that against being trained under my friend?" startled out of her observation, Houndoom looked up to see Ash standing beside her.

" _Not really, but I don't expect you to really understand what I just said. Not unless you have that telepathic rodent translate for you."_ Houndoom barked out getting the attention of the three Flame Pokémon. With a gruff chuckle Blaze started to speak.

" _Pikachu isn't the only one here who can use telepathy, not that Ash needs us to translate for him."_ Houndoom looked up with apprehension at the larger than normal Charizard with the smaller one standing beside him. The Charmeleon in front.

" _That's true, especially for us Legendary ones. Though as accomplished an Aura Guardian as Ash is, he can easily understand you. So can Lily,"_ Zygarde said pointing towards the blonde while lounging in the sun.

" _You can understand be?"_

"That's right and it's good to know that you aren't planning to be a rebel. You are already powerful. I can feel it. Under Clio, you will only flourish even more. Become a prime example of your species. He is planning be recognized as a Fire type Pokémon Master. With you and the Larvesta or Volcarona he plans to catch soon. He will have a complete team to join the ranks of the Eilte Four. An Elites Pokémon are some of the strongest in history. Don't you want to be regarded as a legend?"

" _I always wanted to become strong,"_ Houndoom pondered for a moment before nodding to herself. _"I would love to train under my new master. I would be grateful if you would tell Master that I won't rebel or cause trouble for him."_

"Sure thing Houndoom! Now why don't you eat up. You must be hungry. I need to check what is going on with Bulbasaur. His aura is fluctuating in rather odd patterns." Houndoom nodded before returning to her food. "If you three decide to spar, keep the moves limited to moves that have no chance to start a forest fire. Got that!"

" _Sure thing Ash! Come on squirts. I have a new tactic I want to teach you!"_ Blaze said before picking up Clio's Charmeleon and flew off with Charizard behind him.

* * *

"I can't believe that glowing of a Bulbasaur's bulb means that the Seed Pokémon are strong enough to evolve, but for some reason they haven't. Do you know why they do that?" Leaf asked with excitement as the group sat in the Pokémon Center Cafeteria, eating dinner.

"For the last time Leaf, we don't know!" Clio growled out through gritted teeth. Nearly everyone at the table also had irritated expression on their faces as well. Brock and Lily were frowning while Misty was nearly ready to bring out her wooden mallet. The only one that didn't show and outward signs of irritation was Ash, but that was because of his strong control of his emotions.

"There are many things that aren't know about Pokémon. This is one of those things. Now stop acting like a five-year-old on a sugar high!" Ash said with a cool tone causing Leaf to quickly shut up. She had seen what happens if anyone irritate him in such a mood. "I think that it would be wise that you leave Venusaur out. She may want to visit the site of the ritual."

"Alright though I am curious if they will allow us to observe the ritual?" Everyone looked up in surprise at that. None of them though of observing the ritual.

"That's a good question Leaf. Why don't we see if we can follow them, or not? If the other become angry, I can always intercede."

"That's a very good idea Ash. I think that observing the ritual would allow me to understand a lot more about the Venusaur evolutionary line," Brock said with excitement getting a contemplative nod from Ash.

"And that would in turn help you become a better breeder. It would also allow all of us to become better trainers as a whole. So whose up for a midnight stroll?" Ash waited for everyone's consent and smiled when all of his friends nodded. Some still chewing their dinners. "Alright then! We better quickly finish our dinner and get to bed. I will ask Nurse Joy to alert us when Bulbasaur and Venusaur leaves."

With that small piece said, everyone in the group even Pikachu and the two Togepi hurried to finish their dinners and head to bed.

* * *

A raven-haired boy was sleeping on the upper bunk of one of the three bunk beds in the room. Under him slept a girl about the raven-haired boys age, with blonde hair and a fair complexion. On the boy's stomach slept a small yellow mouse with red cheeks sacs and lightning bolt shaped tail. Around the room on the other bunk beds, two other boys and girls. One of the girls was a brunet while the other was a redhead. In the arms of the blonde and redhead were what seemed to be two egg like Pokémon.

As the group slept, the door to their room creaked open allowing the light form the corridor to flood the dark room. At the door stood a woman in a nurse outfit. Staring for a moment, the nurse nodded to herself before walking into the room with a purposeful gait. Reaching the bunk bed that held the raven-haired boy and the blonde girl, the nurse carefully reached out and shook the boy, trying to wake him up.

"Sir Ketchum! It's time to wake up. Your Bulbasaur and your friends Venusaur has just left the Pokémon Center. If you want to follow, you must get up now!"

With a groan the eyes of the boy fluttered open revealing chocolate brown eyes speckled with glowing blue motes of aura. The nurse stared at the mesmerizing sight before shaking herself out of her stupor. As the boy sat up, the nurse shook the blonde haired girl awake as well. As the eyes of the girl fluttered open, revealing her violet eyes speckled with similar glowing motes of blue aura. Again the nurse stared in awe at the beautiful sight only for a cough to cause her to jump.

"Thank you for waking us Nurse Joy. We really appreciate it!" Ash said from the top bunk. All around the room, the other four humans were also awake, having heard Ash's mental call.

"No need to thank me Sir Ketchum. I am just as curious about the ritual as you are. Just tell me what you find and we can call it even!"

"Sure thing Nurse Joy. Now why don't you wait by the counter. I promise to shoot the whole ritual on Dexter. When we return, I will send you a copy of the video." Nurse Joy just nodded before quickly walking out of the room. As soon as the nurse left, Ash jumped down from his bunk. His friends already out of bed, pulling on jackets to fortify themselves against the cold.

* * *

Bulbasaur and Venusaur walked into a large clearing in the forest. There was a massive tree in the middle of the clearing with many other Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and a single Venusaur lumbering about. They approached the large tree and sat down by a large stump in front of the tree. As they stared around at the gathered Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and the lone Venusaur, their trainers and human friends walked into the clearing.

"Dexter start shooting the whole scene!" Ash said taking out his Pokédex and placing it on the ground. The Pokédex floated up before a Porygon formed around it and shifted into a camera form.

 _Shooting!_

"So this is the Mysterious Garden Nurse Joy was talking about!" Misty whispered in awe with the others nodding in a similar sentiment. "It truly is beautiful!"

"We should keep quiet and watch. The aura in the clearing is changing. The ritual is about to begin." Ash said getting a nod from his companions. Even Pikachu kept quiet and watched in awe. Lily on the other hand was nearly overwhelmed by the sudden change in the natural aura of the clearing.

As the moon rose closer to the middle of the sky, the vaulted roots of the tree shifted revealing a dark hollow within. From within the hollow a pair of glowing red eyes watched the gathered Seed Pokémon. The gathered Seed Pokémon started chanting their names as a Venusaur walked out of the hollow. The surprising thing was that this Venusaur was different from the other two in the clearing. This one was nearly eight feet tall while the other two were about six and a half feet tall. The other differences were that stalk of the flower on its back was larger as was the flower with eight fronds growing from its back. Four on the back and four from branches. The skin of this one was light blue-green and had a pink flower on its head with three green spots on its face.

"That's a Mega Venusaur! How is he a maintain Mega Evolution especially since I don't feel the aura of a Venusaurite on him?" Ash asked himself getting the attention of his companions.

" _It may be that Mega Stones aren't needed to go Mega if the Pokémon in question has already broken through the max level of its final evolution?"_ Pikachu said getting a contemplative nod from the others.

"That's a good hypothesis Pikachu. We should inform Professors Oak and Sycamore about this. Now let's observe what happens."

As the group watched, the Mega Venusaur walked out of the hollow and onto the stump. With a loud roar form Mega, all the other Seed Pokémon quickly became quiet. After a moments silence, the Mega Venusaur looked up into the sky and began chanting causing the others to start chanting as well. As the chanting reached its climax, all the Bulbasaur except Ash's glowed with the light of evolution before they changed into Ivysaur. The same thing happened to the Ivysaur as they changed into Venusaur. Only the two Venusaur in the clearing didn't change. As the chanting came to an end, the Mega turned to Ash's Bulbasaur and stared for a moment. All the others stared as well.

"SAAAUURRRR?" The Mega Venusaur asked his Bulbasaur getting a glare form the little seed Pokémon.

"Bulbasaurrrrr bulba bulbasaur bullllbaaaa!" Bulbasaur responded causing Lily to gasp in shock.

"He can't be serious, can he?" Lily asked to the confusion of everyone except Asha and Pikachu. Seeing the confusion on the others faces Lily decided to clarify what she meant. "Bulbasaur just challenged the Mega Venusaur to a battle. He claims that he won't evolve till he proves himself in the Forest's Challenge."

"Ash you have got to stop him! Bulbasaur could get hurt!" Misty and Leaf exclaimed together in shock.

"The girls are right Ash. No matter how strong Bulbasaur is, he isn't ready to challenge a Mega Venusaur. This one gives off the vibe of a seasoned battler. Bulbasaur could get hurt and badly." Brock said with worry for the little Seed Pokémon.

"I can't interfere in this. I am worried, but these are the things we Aura Guardians are meant to uphold. What Bulbasaur issued to the Keeper of the Grove is a rare but valid challenge to their species. Don't you see how the other Ivysaur and Venusaur are staring at him in shock." Ash said before standing up and walking towards the gathering. After a few moments, the others stood up and followed him with Pikachu teleporting himself and Dexter to Leaf's Venusaur.

" _What is the meaning of this human?"_ The Mega Venusaur asked with fury at seeing Ash and his friends approaching. _"None but our evolutionary line and Aura Guardians may enter this sacred place!"_

"Then you have no reason to be offended for I am Sir Ash Ketchum, the present Grand Master of the Order of Aura Guardians, Rota. The Bulbasaur who has issued the Forest's Challenge is one of my partners. I am here to only offer moral support along with my Squire and our friends." Ash said, his eyes glowing blue with Aura. The Mega nodded before turning back to Bulbasaur.

" _Your Challenge is accepted. Clear a space of the battle. Let us hope that you are not overestimating yourself little one. Even if you are a partner to a Grand Master Aura Guardian, that doesn't mean that you are ready for the challenge._ " Mega Venusaur said before lumbering towards the recently vacated space in the middle of the field. Bulbasaur following the Guardian. As the two prepared to face off, Ash and his friend stood with Leaf's Venusaur and watched in worry, though Ash's face didn't really show it.

Bulbasaur and Mega Venusaur stared at each other for a moment before suddenly charging towards each other, both their bodies glowing with the white energy of **Double-Edge**. As they clashed in the middle, everyone was shocked to see Bulbasaur hold Mega Venusaur back for a few moments before being thrown back. As Bulbasaur was flying through the air, he quickly launched two vinestowards the ground and used them to redirect his momentum so that he easily landed on his four feet.

" _Impressive little one. It isn't every day that a Venusaur, let alone a Bulbasaur is able to hold my attack back for a few moments. Now let's see if you have what it takes to complete the challenge."_ Mega Venusaur said before he started launching a mass of glowing pink petals from his flower. The spiraling wave of pink petals headed towards Bulbasaur who just smirked before his body was covered in a twister of glowing green leaves.

"That's **Petal Dance** right?" Lily asked Leaf getting a nod form the brunet before she said, "And Bulbasaur is using **Leaf Storm**."

The spiraling wave of pink petals collided with the twister of glowing green leaves causing a massive explosion to occur. As Mega Venusaur was waiting for his opponent to attack him, Bulbasaur launched a sphere of yellow energy into the sky causing artificial sunlight to flood the field. As soon as the sunlight flooded the field, Bulbasaur glowed red signifying the use of **Growth**. As the glowing finished, the smoke obscuring Bulbasaur cleared.

With a smirk, Bulbasaur created a ball of green energy in front of his mouth and ate it, causing his bulb to glow green. Raising a foot into the air, Bulbasaur brought it down on the ground causing a thick pillar of grass to engulf Mega Venusaur. As the pillar of grass subsided everyone saw Mega Venusaur sporting a few bruises. With a roar of defiance, Mega Venusaur brought his feet into the air before slamming them down on to the ground causing waves of seismic energy to ripple out from the position of contact.

As everyone watched Mega Venusaur attack, everyone thought that Bulbasaur was done for bout to everyone relief and disbelief Bulbasuar launched himself into the air using his vines before charging up another **Energy Ball** , Bulbasuar again ate it, causing the dull green glow of his bulb to increase exponentially. Mega Venusaur watched in shock as all that glow energy gathered at Bulbasaur's front feet. As Bulbasaur harshly landed on the ground, glowing thorny vines erupted form the ground causing everyone to stared in awe.

" _Don't underestimate me! Midori may have much more precision in using her Aura, but I have found a way to mimic her abilities with my own Aura and an_ _ **Energy Ball**_ _!_ "Bulbasaur roared out as the glowing vines bashed around Mega Venusaur as if he was a little Growlithe. When the attack finally ended, Bulbasaur was seen heavily panting while Mega Venusaur was lying on his stomach. Heavily bruised but still awake. With a mighty heave Mega Venusaur shakily raised onto his feet before he started glowing green.

"Bulbasaur is in trouble, Mega Venusaur is using **Synthesis** to heal up." Brock observed causing the humans and Pikachu to stare in shock.

" _The challenge is finished. The only restriction on both participants is that they can't use moves to recover from injuries during the challenge. The Guardian has accepted his defeat and Bulbasaur has proved himself in the challenge. If he failed, then he would be banned from every evolving. The Guardian would have sprinkled him with the dust of an Everstone. Since it would be dust, Bulbasaur's body would have absorbed it with no way for the Everstone to be ejected. I must say, Bulbasaur has been holding back in our spars."_ Leaf's Venusaur said, Pikachu translating for everyone. Everyone nodded before they sighed in relief.

" _You have done well little one. You are the first to complete the challenge and defeat me as well. Congratulations. Now stop holding back and let the light of evolution overcome you. Guardian please follow me. I wish to talk to you."_ Mega Venusaur said before lumbering towards the large stump.

"Great job buddy. You just proved that even a first stage evolution can defeat a Mega Evolution and we got it on tape. Lily can you take care of Bulbasaur while I see what the Guardian wants?"

"Sure thing Master!" Lily said as she kneeled down beside Bulbasaur and started using her Aura to heal the little Seed Pokémon.

" _You have trained him well. I can feel the little one shall become a legend in time. Now here is a gift for the little one. It is a Venusaurite."_ Mega Venusaur said before he concentrated his aura on the stump. The stump glowed green before a blue stone with green and pink helical core formed in the small depression. _"Take it. Your Bulbasaur has earned it and if he keeps getting stronger in time, he won't need the stone at all."_

Taking the stone Ash turned to Mega Venusaur and bowed. "Thank you for the gift Keeper of the Grove, but may I ask, how did you become a Mega anyway?"

" _When a Venusaur breaks through the maximum limit of their species, the intense power in them causes a mutation in us that results in us permanently becoming a Mega Venusaur. Does that answer your question Guardian?"_ Ash juts nodded with a smile.

"Thank you for that enlightening information and thank you for accepting Bulbasaur's challenge!"

" _Think nothing of it Guardian, though you should know that your Bulbasaur would have already become a Mega Venusaur, if he was a Venusaur. Don't be surprised if he chooses to become one right now! Arceus knows, that little one already has surpassed even the limits of an Ivysaur."_

"That is wonderful information though I believe that him becoming a Venusaur is still some time away. Bulbasaur believes in mastering his current form to the utmost before evolving. So him choosing to directly evolve into Venusaur isn't highly probable."

" _That is his wish, take care Guardian. It was an honor to meet you. Your Squire has finished healing the little one. Join them, I must return back to my slumber,"_ said Mega Venusaur before he turned and walked into the hollow of the trunk. As soon as he vanished into the dark hollow, the roots again moved and hid the hollow. With a nod Ash turned and walked back to his friends.

"How is he?" Lily looked up and smiled.

"He will be fine Ash. Bulbasaur is getting ready to evolve now!" Ash nodded just as Bulbasaur glowed with the light of evolution. When the intense white light faded, in place of the dinosaur like being with a green bulb on his back stood a dinosaur like creature with a pink flower bud and five fern fronds on its back. "Congratulations Ivysaur!"

"Ivysaur!"

"Sure thing buddy, return!" Ash said with a smile as Ivysaur disappeared in a flash of red light. "Alright everyone dawn is nearing. We better get back to the Pokémon Center and rest up as best as we can. We have to leave near noon."

"Sure thing Ash!" Misty and Leaf replied at the same time. The two girls looked at each other for a moment before they started giggling. After a few moments Brock shouted out.

"If you two are done giggling, you two should catch up with us!" Misty and Leaf looked up in surprise before staring at the receding backs of their friends. Quickly recalling her Venusaur, Leaf and Misty ran after Brock and the group.

"Hey wait for us!" Leaf call out in panic with Misty cursing herself under her breath.

* * *

Ash and friends had just gave their fossils to the Head Researcher at the Pokémon Lab to have them revived. More like Ash and Leaf handing over their Jaw and Root fossils. The Head then asked for them to return the next day to collect their Pokémon. After that group were wandering about Cinnabar Island looking for the Pokémon Gym. Unfortunately for them, they were directed to a dilapidated building. A local came forward and informed them that the Gym was closed down by Blaine, the Gym Leader as he became tired of Tourists challenging him. After that the man handed a business card and left. Deciding to book a room for the night, the group headed to the Pokémon Center only to learn that there were no vacancies. After roaming about for some time, finding every Hotel completely booked, Brock remembered the business card the local gave them.

After solving the riddle on the card, the group headed towards the only building with a clock in it, coming face to face with the Big Riddle Inn. They were greeted by the same man who told them about the history of the Cinnabar Pokémon Gym. After checking the group in, the owner called the group over and told them that Blain had built a secret Gym somewhere even firefighter couldn't win. With that said, the owner directed the group to the hot springs, telling them that dinner would be ready in a couple of hours.

At present the group of six humans, two Togepi and a Pikachu were soaking in the warm steamy waters of the hot springs mulling over the owner's riddle. The girls on one side of a bamboo divider and the boys on the other.

"What did the riddle say again?" Misty called out from the girl's side.

"He said that the gym was hidden somewhere 'Firefighters couldn't hope to win!'" Brock said with a frustrated sigh.

"Hmm! Nah, it couldn't be, could it?' Lily muttered getting the attention of Leaf and Misty.

"What are you thinking Lily?" Turning to the two girls, Lily replied, "The only place a firefighter could win is a volcano, but can a gym really be built inside one?"

"That's a difficult question. It would depend on the structure of the Volcano's cone." Brock called out with speculative expression. "What do you thing guys?"

"I think that it might be possible, but how do we find it? Do you have any ideas Ash?" Not getting an answer both boys turned to their raven haired friend only to see his eyes closed and glowing with aura. After a couple of minutes his eyes stopped glowing.

"Everyone get out of the Hot Springs. The entrance to the Gym is here, so that means that the owner is Blaine!" Ash said confidently getting a surprised gasp from the girls. After everyone was out, dried and clothed, they met up at the boy's side.

"So where is the entrance Ash?"

"Why don't you push the head of that Gyarados Statue and find out Lily!" Lily looked skeptical but did as her master asked only to gasp in surprise as the whole statue lowered into the pedestal. A low rumble began to reverberate throughout the Hot Springs as the wall at the back slowly move away to reveal long dark passage. Walking through the passage, they came to a pair of large metal doors that opened without any prompting revealing a suspended battle field over a glowing pool of magma.

"I see that you have solved the riddle, so I welcome you to the Cinnabar Pokémon Gym. Now answer the final riddle and I will introduce you to the Gym Leader!" The Owner of the Big Riddle Inn said with a flourish.

"How about no? I already know that you are Blaine the Gym Leader!" Ash said, shooting a smug grin at Blaine's shocked expression. Recovering from the shock, Blain was quick to comment.

"Well look at that! You are the first Trainer to have guessed my identity without the final riddle. Anyway the challenge is a three-on-three battle with the last side standing winning. The challenger may substitute while the leader may not. Does the terms seem agreeable?"

"Sure does Blaine!" Ash said as he walked to the competitor's box. Blaine doing the same and heading to the Leaders box. The Referee quickly directed Ash's friends to an air conditioned room before taking his position.

"This is an official gym battle between the challenger Sir Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Blaine the Cinnabar Gym Leader. Trainers reveal your first Pokémon!"

"Let's turn up the heat Ninetails!" Blain called out revealing a golden white fox with nine tails.

"Cool them off Squirtle!" Ash said as he called out the Tiny Turtle Pokémon.

"Start it off with **Fire Spin**!" Blain called out causing Ninetails to blast out a spiral of flames at Squirtle.

"Send it back with **Mirror Coat** and then counter with **Water Pulse**!" Squirtle's body became enveloped in a strange yellow glowing energy just as the spinning wave of fire neared it. To Blaine and his Ninetails surprise, the wave of flames stopped just before it struck the Tiny Turtle Pokémon before it turned back with greater quantity.

"Ninetails has Flash Fire, doesn't she?" Ash asked as Blain didn't react negatively to the wave of fire washing over his Ninetails. With a smirk, he gave Ninetails her next orders.

"Now Ninetails use **Energy Ball** to counter the **Water Pulse** and follow it up with **Will-O-Wisp**!" From within the sea of orange flames a ball of greenish yellow energy blasted out struck the ball of compressed blue water, nullifying it into a fine mist. Through the fine mist multiple balls of ghostly flames flew out and struck Squirtle causing the tiny turtle to burst into flames.

"SQUIRTLE!"

"Hang in there Squirtle, use **Refresh** and follow it up with **Rain Dance**!" Ash said getting confused looks from everyone. Squirtle on the other hand just smirked and glowed white causing the flames to be doused. As soon as Squirtle had doused the flames, he launched a ball of blue energy into the sky causing rain clouds to form at the mouth of the volcano. Within moments the whole field was covered in a strong downpour. As the sky water touched the boiling lava, it evaporated covering the chamber in thick steam.

"What were you planning with this Ash, now neither of us can see. Unfortunately for you, I have trained my Pokémon to battle without orders! Ninetails go all out!"

"Have fun Squirtle, just like we planned!" Ash said getting a skeptical look from the elder man. After a moment his face relaxed, thinking that Ash was bluffing.

Within the steam covered battlefield, there were multiple explosion and shouts from both Pokémon. Everyone, except Lily and Ash watched with bated breath for the outcome. After the tenth explosion, a turtle shaped silhouette flew up into the air, its body covered water. Reaching the apex of the flight, the turtle opened its mouth and formed a compressed ball of water in it. The ball kept growing larger with even more water compressed into it. Just as the turtle started falling, it directed its mouth towards the steam covered field and launched it right into the middle. With a loud bang, the ball collided with the field and exploded just as the rain subsided, causing the steam to thin out.

"No Ninetails, try and counter with **Fire Blast**!" Blaine called out panicked but it was too late, the storm of compressed water had exploded too close to the Fox Pokémon, drowning it in a massive wave of water, washing the fox over the side of the battlefield and into boiling magma below. That is, if Blaine hadn't returned to knocked out Pokémon. "You did well old friend. Now have a nice long rest!"

"Return Squirtle, you did well!" Ash said as he was about to return the Tiny Turtle Pokémon only for it to glow with the light of evolution and change into Wartortle. The newly evolved Wartortle raised his hands up to his ears and rubbed them before grinning.

"Tortle!"

"Congratulations buddy, now why don't you take some rest!" Ash said and returned the celebrating Turtle Pokémon before taking out another pokéball and releasing Frogadier, The Bubble Frog Pokémon.

"Let's show them the heat Magmar!" Blaine called out as a red and yellow lizard like Pokémon jumped out of the boiling magma and landed on the battle field. Everyone stared in shock at the Pokémon that came out. Portions of Magmar's body seemed to be made of living yellow and red flames.

"Mar magmar!" Magmar called out snorting at the sight of his opponent causing the frog like Pokémon to sneer in anger.

"Frogadier!" The Bubble Frog Pokémon exclaimed, clenching his fists in anger.

"Calm down Frogadier! Don't let that overgrown candle psyche you out!" With a nod Frogadier took a steadying breath before calming down.

"Start out with **Sunny Day** Magmar!" Blaine called out causing the fire-type to blast up an orb of yellow light that caused the sunlight to intensify. "Now use **Confuse Ray**!"

"Frogadier, use **Counter Shield**!" Ash commanded causing the Bubble Frog Pokémon to jump up into the air and spin. While Frogadier was spinning, he let loose a stream of bluish bubbles. The spinning caused the bubbles to start revolving around the frog like Pokémon. As the balls of glowing ghostly energy flew towards Frogadier, the swirling bubbles easily intercepted and nullified the **Confuse Ray**.

"What!" Blaine exclaimed in shock, his Magmar showing a similar expression on his face. "What was that?"

"It was an improvised move designed to counter a large subset of moves. Now Frogadier return fire with **Rock Slide**!" With a smirk, the bubble frog Pokémon glowed blue, "Frogadierrrrr!" A bunch of slate grey rocks formed above the bubble frog Pokémon before with a wave of his arms, Frogadier sent all of the slate gray rocks towards the Spitfire Pokémon.

"Get out of there Magmar!" Blaine called out in panic, but to his relief, Magmarreacted fast enough to quickly dodge away from the large boulders. "Now return fire with **Focus Blast**!"

Cupping his arms together, the Spitfire Pokémon gathered a ball of golden energy and launched it at Frogadier. To both Blaine and Magmar's surprise, neither Ash nor Frogadier made any move to dodge. As the ball of golden energy was about to strike Frogadier, Ash called out his next command.

"Mirage Sapphire Combo!" Everyone waited with bated breath to see what Frogadier was about to do, but to everyone's disappointment, the Bubble Frog Pokémon stayed put, as if ignoring his trainers command. Blaine and Magmar grinned as the **Focus Blast** struck true and exploded shrouding Frogadier in smoke.

"Too bad Ash. It seems that your Forgadier decided to disobey you at a most critical point of the battle.' Ash just chuckled as the smoke cleared. Magmar and Blaine stared in shock as the Forgadier in front of them wavered for a moment before vanishing. Both the Spitfire Pokémon and his trainer's eyes widened in shock as they realized what happened.

"Substitute!" Blaine mumbled out in shock before suddenly snapping himself out of his shock. "Magmar, bathe the whole area with a **Lava Plume**!" With a nod, the Spitfire Pokémon raised his arms, fists glowing with red energy and tried to slam them into the ground before a blue ball of compressed water collided with his face. Stunned, Magamar was unable to finish executing the **Lava Plume**.

Looking up, Magmar saw a large number of Frogadier running all around him, their bodies glowing with the white energy of **Quick Attack**. "Magmar use **Flamethrower** to sweep away the **Double Team**!"

"MAGGG MARRRRRR!" Magmar called out as he breathed out a massive cone of reddish yellow fire and started dispelling the clones, hoping to quickly hit Frogadier. When the clones were reduced to a quarter of their original number, Frogadier charged forward. As he neared the Spitfire Pokémon, he gathered a very compressed ball of glowing water in his arms and jumped into the air using **Bounce**.

"Magmar get out of there!" Blaine called out. Unfortunately, before Magmar could react, Frogadier was already above him and had launched the **Hydro Cannon** into his head. Landing the field on three limbs, Frogadier jumped up before rushing back to Ash's side and before he was engulfed in white light. When the light dissipated, instead of Frogadier stood a tall and proud Greninja.

"Magmar? You alright in there?" Blaine called with worry. Greninja also directed an intense stare at the cloud of steam and waited for it to disperse. A couple of moments later, the steam started thinning out revealing the silhouette of a downed Magmar. When the steam complete cleared, Magmar was seen to have been knocked out by the final attack. "Return old friend, you did well. Our opponent was just that much better."

After returning Magmar, Blaine turned to Ash. "You are the best challenge I have had in a while Ash. Your Wartortle and Greninja are well trained, unfortunately for you, I have to use my strongest next. The way you are sweeping my Pokémon means that I can't keep underestimating you. Help me out Houndoom!"

In a flash of light, a black dog like Pokémon appeared in the battlefield. The dog had bone like spines on his back and neck, with two curved horns. A pair of bone like anklets on his ankles and an arrow tipped tail. Hanging from his neck was a mega stone.

"So you plan to mega evolve Houndoom, then I choose you Koyuki!" Ash said with a smirk, releasing his Alolan Ninetails. Greninja standing with Ash and Pikachu, wanting to observe the final match.

"That's a beautiful Ninetails Ash. Now keystone respond to my feelings. Mega Evolve Houndoom!" Blaine called out as he touched the keystone embedded in his walking cane. In a flash of rainbow light Houndoom's form changed revealing a far more vicious looking version of the Dark Pokémon. Houndoom's chest and back were armored with sharp bone and his tail was now split at the end.

"You can start the match Ash!" Blaine said with a smirk, though inwardly he was frowning. While Houndoom had an advantage over Koyuki, the Ninetails also had an advantage being a part Fairy-Type. Houndoom's Dark typing being disadvantageous against a Fairy-Type.

"Alright Blaine! Koyuki! Start it off with **Dazzling Gleam**!" Ash called out causing the Fox Pokémon to glow with white light before rays of the light flew out of the shell of light, striking everything within range. Unfortunately for Houndoom, he was unable to completely back out of the range of the attack. Many glancing blows struck him causing the Dark Pokémon to roar out in pain.

"Houndoom use **Inferno**!"

With a loud bark, Houndoom blasted out a powerful wave of crimson flames at Koyuki, hoping to completely bathe the Fox Pokémon within it. "Counter with **Blizzard** and then use **Hail**!"

Heeding Ash's command, Koyuki released a huge blast of freezing cold wind with sparkling ice crystals floating within it. The **Blizzard** and **Inferno** collided in the middle of the field, nullifying each other and covering the whole field in steam. While everyone waited for the steam to dissipate, Koyuki launched an icy sphere of energy into the air causing clouds to form and rain down hail and sleet.

"Don't give up Houndoom! Use **Destiny Bond** , we can't let them humiliate us like this." Blaine called out causing Houndoom to glow with a sinister purple aura. Within the steam, hail and sleet, the Fox Pokémon also glowed with the same aura.

"NINEEEEE!" Koyuki howled out in anger before blasting out a ball of pink energy form her mouth. She had realized what had happened and was not the least pleased.

"Calm down Koyuki, use **Hypnosis** and follow it up with **Laser Focus** and then use **Moonblast** again!" Ash commanded just as Houndoom barely dodged the previous **Moonblast** , being caught in the fringes of the explosion.

"Houndoom get out of there and use **Sludge Bomb**!" Blaine called out to his disoriented Pokémon only for Koyuki to appear directly in front of the startled Dark Pokémon and released the hypnotic waves before jumping back, her eyes glowing golden, emitting a laser like light at Houndoom.

"Houndoom wake up!" Blaine called out but the Dark Pokémon kept on sleeping. Blaine could just watch in silent agony as the Fox Pokémon used **Laser Focus** making sure that the next attack would land a critical blow and then charged up a powerful ball of compressed pink energy before launching the orb into the unconscious Dark Pokémon. The massive explosion that occurred caused the unconscious Pokémon to wake up with a pained cry as he was thrown back.

"You alright Houndoom?" Blaine asked with gritted teeth as he saw his strongest Pokémon struggle to get up.

"Koyuki, return! You have done well. No need to faint." Ash said as he returned the Fox Pokémon back to her pokéball. Taking out another pokéball, Ash released Wartortle. "Finish it Wartortle. Use **Aura Sphere**!"

With a nod the Turtle Pokémon charged up a blue orb of aura and chucked it at the barely conscious Dark Pokémon before he burst into flames. Gritting his teeth, Wartortle fought through the burning feeling as he watched the **Aura Sphere** collide with the tired Dark Pokémon. The smoke from the explosion and the steam from Koyuki's **Hail** obscured Houndoom for a few moments before clearing up, revealing the Dark Pokémon had reverted back to his original state and was unconscious.

"With the Leader losing all three of his Pokémon, I declare Sir Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and his Pokémon the winner," the Referee said raising a flag towards Ash.

"Great job everyone!" Ash said after releasing Koyuki again. On the other hand, Blaine approached his Houndoom and cradled the Dark Pokémon's head in his lap and streaked his head.

"You did well old friend. I had hoped to at least take down the Ninetail's but it seemed that I forgot that Ash could switch Pokémon. Next time I won't make the same mistake. Now rest up." Blaine said before he tapped Houndoom's pokéball to the unconscious Pokémon's head, making the Dark Pokémon glow red before being absorbed into the ball.

Standing up, Blaine turned to Ash and his Pokémon. As he walked over to the raven haired boy, the hail; finally let up, causing the steam to slowly dissipate as well. Feeling a presence behind him, Ash turned to see Blaine staring at him with an inscrutable expression on his face. After a few moments of awkward silence Blaine smiled.

"You are the best challenger I have had since Blue Oak. I expect to see you take over the spot of Kanto Champion soon, Ash. Here is the Volcano Badge as proof of your victory." Blaine said handing over a small red badge in the shape of a fire with three offshoots at the head.

Taking the badge, Ash smiled before shaking Blaine's outstretched hand. "You are one of the best challenges I have had yet, especially since I was using some of my barely Elite Level Pokémon. They needed the experience. I can't thank you enough for the battle."

"No need for that Ash. Now why don't we return back to the Inn. Its past dinner time and I am sure that your lot are hungry!" Blaine said just as Ash's stomach grumbled. Greninja smirked while Koyuki and Pikachu laughed out in mirth with Ash's human companions joining in.

"Alright let's head back to the inn. I am sure that everyone here is hungry!" Ash exclaimed with a red face as he quickly returned Greninja and Koyuki before running towards the entrance.

* * *

The next morning, Ash and Leaf approached the Pokémon Lab with barely hid excitement. Both were looking forward to meet their new Pokémon. As they walked into the lobby of the Lab, they were greeted by a woman sitting behind a reception desk.

"Hello! May I help you?"

"Hello! I am Ash and this is Leaf. We are here to pick up our revived fossil Pokémon." Ash said with a polite smile. The woman nodded before checking through the desktop computer in front of her. After a couple of moments, the woman turned back to Ash and Leaf.

"Dr. Nakamura is expecting you. He has left instructions to direct you to Room H7. It's at the end of the hall on your left. Have a nice day." The woman said with a smile as she pointed towards the right hallway. With a nod, both pallet natives walked into the hall, their destination Room H7.

"So you and Clio are leaving this evening?" Ash asked in a conversational tone, but Leaf detected the slight hint of sadness within it.

"That's right. We should be back by next month, hopefully. We will see you then, alright Ash?"

"Sure thing Leaf, but it's always sad to separate from friends." Ash said as he pushed open the door to Room H7. Leaf just hummed in agreement.

"Ah! Sir Ketchum, Miss Miles. Your revived fossil Pokémon are here in these personalized pokéballs. The pokéball that is blue and gold contains a shiny Tyrunt. The green and yellow one contains a Leelip. Here you are." Dr. Nakamura said handing Ash and Leaf their respective pokéballs.

"Thank you for reviving our fossils Doctor. We are in your debt." Ash said with a formal bow. Dr. Nakamura just waved away their concerns.

"No need to thank me. I am happy to be able to keep studying and refining the fossil restoration system. I am the one who is in your debt. Now why don't you go outside and get introduced to your new Pokémon. Be warned that resurrected fossil Pokémon tend to be very aggressive at first."

"Sure thing Doctor. I will make sure that Leelip or Tyrunt doesn't harm anyone." With that said, Ash and Leaf quickly left the Lab and towards their friends. Excited to introduce them to the two newly revived fossil Pokémon.


	12. Chapter 11 - Interlude to Pallet

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Interlude to Pallet**

"Too bad Clio and Leaf left. It was fun travelling with them," Lily said with a sigh.

"That's normal Lily. We meet and befriend many people in our journeys., but in the end we have to part ways. Sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. That's the way of life." Brock said with a melancholic smile, "But look on the bright side, we will meet up with Clio and Leaf within a couple of months anyway."

Lily smiled at that before perking up, "You are right Brock. I shouldn't despair about parting ways with friends. We will meet again sometime in the future! What do you think Togepi?"

"Togepriiiiii!" The shiny spiked ball Pokémon called out causing the surrogate mother to smile as well.

"Hey Ash, where are we headed anyway?" Misty asked from beside Lily. Ash, who was walking some ways off with Ferrum and Zygarde walking beside him and Pikachu sleeping on Zygarde's back, looked back and grinned.

"We are headed towards Viridian City. I want to see if the Gym Leader is free to take a challenge. After that we head through the forest south of Viridian towards Pallet Town for my final Gym Badge!"

"Don't you need only one more to qualify for the League?" Brock asked in confusion.

"That's right but there are no rules stating that I can't have more than eight. Most trainers don't have time or the skill to get more than eight in a year. Anyway challenging mom is the closest I would come to evaluate how far mw and my Pokémon have come since we started our journey. Mom nearly did defeat the Elite Four you know. Agatha was the strongest Elite Four behind the Regional Champion at that time. She lost to Agatha when Magik, her Alakazam fainted a couple of seconds before Agatha's Gengar."

"Wait, you mother was a League Champion who nearly defeated the Elite Four?" Misty asked in shock.

"That's right. I believe you would remember her as Delia Richards. The battle between her and Agatha is still the most intense Pokémon battle to occur in League history right behind the battle between Blue and Red."

"I can see why you want to challenge her! I am a great fan of your mothers. She showed that women can be strong as well!" Misty gushed while Ash, Brock and Lily just shook their heads in disbelief. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Misty was acting like some kind of fan girl and that was not over Water Pokémon.

"Oi Misty! What do you say about a stop by Cerulean City?" Ash called out causing Misty to snap out of her fan girl state of mind.

"Do we have to? Lily and Violet are just going to irritate me again!" Misty whined causing Lily to sweat drop.

"She can't be serious, can she?" Lily asked getting a snort from everyone who had met the Sensational Sisters.

" _You don't know the half of it!"_ Ferrum said before using **Psychic** to pick a couple of apples from a nearby tree. _"Want one?"_

" _Nah! I am still full from breakfast._ "

" _If you are sure Zygarde!"_ Ferrum said before chomping down on one of the apples.

* * *

"Hey guys! I am back with my friends!" Misty called out as she walked into the Cerulean City Pokémon Gym. Within moments Daisy, Violet and Lily walked into the Gym from the residential area.

"Good to see you again runt! Become a Water Pokémon Master yet?" Lily goaded with Violet snickering behind before Daisy slapped both of them in the back of their heads.

"Be nice you two. We have a new guest to introduce ourselves to. The names Daisy and these are Violet, the one with the blue hair and Lily, the one with the pink hair." Daisy said with the other two waving in return.

"Nice to meet you as well. Coincidentally I am Lily as well! Squire Lily White at your service!" Lily said with a grin causing a mirroring grin to appear on the pink haired Lily's face as well.

"Like this will be awkward. How will anyone know who we are talking about or talking to?" Daisy said with a confused look.

"That's easy, we call my apprentice Squire White for the moment. That should take care of the problem!" Ash said with a grin causing the faces of both Lily's to fall.

"Like that's an acceptable compromise. I will just call her Miss White! Anyway, Misty can we ask for a favor?" Daisy asked with a smile.

"Depends on what kind of favor. If you want me to take over the Gym so that you can concentrate on your Water Shows, then forget it!" Misty exclaimed passionately.

"Like it's about the Water Show, but not the way you think. We need another member for a new show. We need you to be the Mermaid on the show. So like what will it be?" Daisy asked with a bit of a pleading tone. Misty gaped in shock. this was the first time her sisters asked her to be a part of the show.

"When is the show?" Misty asked cautiously.

"Like in a week. You will have more than enough time to practice! Your friends can even stay in the guest rooms!"

"What do you think guys?" Misty asked turning to her friends.

"I have no problem with that Misty. It's not like I am on a tight schedule," Brock said with a smile.

"Don't look at me. I am still a Squire learning under Ash. If he stays, then so do I!" Lily said with a smile before everyone turned to Ash.

"I will be nice to stay still for some time. It will help in training, so the answer is alright. A week should be enough for me to whip up Lily into shape for her combat training." Lily started sweating in fear at the strange tone in Ash's voice. She realized that she was in for a hard week ahead.

"Thanks Ash! You really don't mind taking a bit of rest from getting your final Badge?"

"Not at all Misty!" Ash said with a smile.

"Why don't you show them to the Guest Rooms Misty and Ash, why don't we have a rematch this evening? I have been training very hard for the past months for just this occasion!" Daisy stated with determination.

Ash grinned, "Sure thing Daisy. Same match up or different Pokémon this time?"

"Same match up like last time. Same rules." Ash just nodded before following Misty and their friends.

* * *

"This is a practice match between Daisy, the Cerulean City Gym Leader and Ash, from Pallet Town. Each trainer may use three Pokémon each with both trainers returning their Pokémon after each round. Trainers reveal your first Pokémon!" Violet called out as Ash and Daisy released their respective Pokémon. On Daisy's side appeared her trusty Slowbro and on Ash's side was his Scyther, Flash.

"Begin!"

"Flash show them how much we have improved use **Mirage Storm Dark**!" Ash commanded causing Daisy and Slowbro to become cautious.

"Don't let your guard down Slowbro! Flood the whole field using **Surf**!" Daisy commanded causing Slowbro to conjure up a massive wave of water and drown anything on the ground. To both Daisy and Slowbor's surprise, the attack struck Scyther before Scyther was torn to shreds. "That's **Substitute**! Scyther can be anywhere!"

"Too late! Now Flash!" Ash commanded causing a wave of glittering silver wind to strike Slowbro from the back, throwing the Hermit Crab Pokémon forward. Getting up, Slowbro was startled to see a large number of Scyther's bearing down upon him.

"Slowbro use **Blizzard** and cause the wind to swirl around you with **Psychic**!" Daisy called out with a smirk as Slowbro's eyes glowed blue. The freezing cold wind with sparkling ice crystals started swirling around him in the form of a twister preventing Flash from charging in.

"Flash use **Air Slash** to dispel the **Blizzard** before continuing the combo!" Ash said getting a smirk from Flash. Gathering a ball of sharp green winds, Flash threw it towards the swirling shield of wind and ice. As soon as the ball of green winds struck the swirling wall, both exploded in a cloud of mist.

"Slowbro use **Icy Wind**!" Daisy called out only for all of the Scyther's to charge Slowbro before vanishing and reappearing behind, white streaks of energy flowing off from their bodies. Their scythes glowing with a sinister black energy. Before Slowbro could even release the bitter cold winds, all the Scyther's rammed their claws into Slowbro. A massive cloud of smoke formed from the resultant explosion. "Slowbro are you alright?"

"Sorry about this Daisy but Slowbro is on his last legs!" Ash said getting an upraised eyebrow from Daisy. When Daisy realized what Ash meant, it was already too late. Flash had flown out of the smoke cloud and charged up a ball of white energy before launching it down towards where Slowbro was.

"Slowbro use **Protect**!" Daisy called out in panic. The beam of destructive energy cut through the smoke revealing Slowbro staring at the approaching **Hyper Beam** with a confused look before attempting to throw up a hasty green barrier. When the beam struck the barrier, at first it seemed that the **Protect** would win but unfortunately, cracks appeared all over the barrier before it completely shattered. The beam, though weakened, struck true and exploded screening Slowbro within another cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Slowbro was seen lying on his stomach, completely unconscious. With a sigh Daisy returned Slowbro, "You did well Slowbro. We just expected a similar outcome to our last battle. Take a long rest."

"Slowbro is unable to battle. This round goes to Ash. Trainers reveal your second Pokémon!" Violet called out as Ash returned Flash with a quiet thanks. For their second Pokémon, Ash chose Angel while Daisy chose her Kingdra.

"Let's not make the same mistake again Kingdra. Start it off with **Toxic**!" Daisy called out causing her Kingdra to launch a violet glob of toxic liquid at Angel.

"Counter with **Magic Coat** and then use **Psyshock**!" Ash calmly commanded with a smirk. The glob of toxic liquid reached Angel only for the Intertwining Pokémon to glow golden before the glob reversed direction and flew towards Kingdra.

"Use **Agility** to get out of there and return fire with **Flash Cannon**!" Daisy said causing Kingdra to rush out of the area leaving behind a trail of blurred afterimages. As soon as Kingdra was in position, he glowed silver before launching a beam of silver energy at Angel.

" **Protect** then use **Swagger** Angel!" Ash said causing the Intertwining Pokémon to conjure up a powerful looking pink barrier. The **Flash Cannon** struck the barrier exploded covering Ash's side of the field in smoke. From within the smoke cloud, Angel's silhouette glowed red. A similar glow covered Kingdra before he became confused.

"Kingdra snap out of it and use **Clear Smog**!" Daisy commanded only for Kingdra to ram his head into one of the floating platforms.

"Power up with **Work Up** and then finish it off with **Hyper Beam**!" Ash said causing Angel to glow red again for a few moments before she started gathering a ball of pink energy in front of her mouth. After the ball was a little larger than half the size of her head, Angel released the pent up energy in a beam of pure destructive energy.

"Kingdra try and snap out of it!" Daisy called out but Kingdra kept ramming his head into the floating platform. The pink bean struck the confused Dragon Pokémon on the back and carried him out of the pool and right into the back wall of the Gym before exploding. When the smoke cleared, Kingdra was still embedded in the small depression that formed when he struck the wall. Unconscious to all his surroundings. There were purple bruises forming on his blue scaled body.

"Kingdra is unable to battle. This round goes to Ash and his Sylveon. As Ash has won two out of three rounds, I declare Ash as the winner," Violet declared with a smile.

"Return Kingdra. Like you did well. Have a long rest," Daisy said returning Kingdra before turning to Ash, who had just returned Angel. "You and Angel have gotten much better. Kingdra and I have been like training very hard, yet still you defeated us like easily. Like it seems that you two have trained even harder. Good luck with the league. Like I will be betting a lot of money on you winning!"

"Daisy!" Misty called out in shock. "When did you start gambling?"

"Like it's not really gambling if you already know the outcome!" Daisy said with an impish smile before yawning. "I think that all of us should like have dinner and head to bed. All of us are tired. Thanks for the exhilarating battle."

"Sure thing Daisy," Ash said with a smile before following everyone out of the gym and into the dining room.

* * *

A young girl was sleeping on her bed, a small smile gracing her lips as she dreamed of nice dreams. Unfortunately for the blond, her sweet dreams were about to be disrupted as a black haired boy walked into the room with a Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. An orb of cold water floating beside him. His eyes glowing with a light blue aura. As the unsuspecting girl rolled over in her sleep, the boy directed the ball of water over the girl before letting the psychic hold disappear. With aloud splash, the freezing cold water completely drenched the girl causing her to jump up screaming murder.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! ASH KETCHUM! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"If you are done screeching, meet me at Cerulean Cape within half-an-hour. We will continue your combat training. It seems that you still haven't been keeping your senses alert, else you would have sensed me the moment I walked in," Ash said with a grin before walking out of the room. As Ash walked out of the room, the Waterflower Sisters and Brock ran up to the room.

"Is everything alright?" Brock asked with concern getting a grin from Ash.

"Of course. I was just giving my apprentice a wakeup call. We do have a lot of training to do!"

"What did you do?" Misty asked with apprehension. She had seen how hard a task master her friend can be during training. A true blue military drill sergeant. At this moment she was pitying Lily.

"Oh nothing serious. Just dropped a gallon of ice cold water on her. That should shake away any drowsiness she would have had by the time she reaches Cerulean Cape. Well see you later!" Ash said before he and Pikachu teleported away.

"Is that like normal?" Daisy asked with Lily and Violet Waterflower rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"You have no idea!" Misty sighed before walking into Lily's room. "You alright Lily?"

"Do I look alright? I am sopping wet! On top of that, I have to reach Cerulean Cape within half-an-hour! It's not even six in the morning yet!" Lily grumbled as she used a towel to dry her hair.

"Then we will leave you to it," Misty said trying to keep the laugher out of her voice. Daisy, Lily and Violet Waterflower didn't have any problem laughing at the funny scene. Brock on the other hand was drying the disgruntled Spiked Ball Pokémon.

* * *

Walking into a secluded area of the Cape where Lily felt Ash's aura, she came upon a surprising sight. Sitting on a large boulder was Ash, meditating with a blue and yellow aura flaring all around him. All around him was his elite team of Cherry, Blaze, Midori, Ferrum, Angel and Pikachu. All of them were also meditating with auras flaring all around them. Pikachu's aura was similar to Ash's with blue and yellow intertwining with each other.

"You know the drill. Sit and meditate for an hour. After that we shall start," Ash said without opening his eyes before his aura spiked again, the yellow and blue mixing into pale green streaks. Without any complaint, Lily did as her master asked of her. Setting down her back pack, she chose another boulder and jumped onto it before sitting down. Closing her eyes, she focused inward and started meditating, all the while not realizing that her aura was flickering up all around her in a blaze of blue light. Immersing herself into the meditation and allowing her aura to connect her consciousness to nature, Lily lost all track of time. The only reason she realized that an hour had passed was feeling Ash and his Pokémon coming out of their meditative trances.

"That's enough of meditation Lily. Now we spar!" Lily didn't even have enough time to get up before she had to dodge a sphere of condensed aura from Ash. Rolling into a crouched position, the blonde girl retaliated by launching her own **Aura Sphere** at Ash. The raven haired Master just parried the sphere with blue glowing hands before charging in with a low kick. His foot glowing with blue aura. Rolling out of the way, Lily followed up with a spin kick as she got back onto her feet. Ash easily blocked the kick with his forearm, both blue limbs releasing sparks of aura from the collision.

"You have got much better Lily. Now how about we take it up a notch?" Ash asked panting lightly. Before him, his blonde apprentice was also breathing hard. Her blonde bangs matted to her face with sweat pouring down both of their faces.

"I aim to please!" Lily exclaimed as she suddenly charged in with fists pulled back, glowing with the collected aura surrounding them. Just as Lily was about to bring her fists down, Ash easily caught her fists in his own and pulled her close. Lily only stared in shock as her body was pulled flush against Ash's muscular form. A light blush adorned her face but before she could react, Ash already had her in a choke hold.

"You have got to do better Lily. Now submit!" Lily just gritted her teeth as Ash slammed her down on the ground, her arm pulled back and held at her lower back. Growling in embarrassment and anger, Lily squirmed under Ash's iron grip. "Are you done yet?" Gritting her teeth even more, Lily was suddenly covered in an intense blue glow before a shockwave threw Ash off. Getting up, Lily was about to retaliate before her aura suddenly dissipated. As darkness started claiming her, the last thing she saw was Ash's expressive brown eyes glinting with worry.

* * *

A pair of violet eyes opened to a sight of confusion for their owners. Instead of the blue sky above and green grass below the owner, they were staring at the ceiling of the guestroom the owner was staying at. The owner felt the soft bedsheets below her. Her blonde hair splayed around her head. The light coming from the window was faint enough to reveal that the source was the moon and not the sun. The girl closed her violet eyes and tried to think of how she came back to her room and how she didn't realize that it was already night.

As the girl stayed still trying to remember, she heard a light shuffling beside her. Turning her head towards the sound, she saw a boy with messy raven hair scratching his cheek. His head lying on the bed, the body resting on a chair that was pulled up beside her bed. As she started at the boy, she came to a startling realization. Her right hand was gently held in the boys own hands.

With a light blush on her face, not that anyone would be able to see that, the girl tried to gently remove her hand from the boys as she sat up. Unfortunately, the light jostling of the bed and the hand being pulled free from the boy's grasp caused the boy to jolt up in surprise. A pair of brown eyes, dulled by sleep and the pair of violet eyes, glowing with embarrassment, started at each other. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was less than a minute, the brown eyes glowed with relief and happiness. Before the girl could even react, the boy closed the distance between them and hugged the stunned girl.

"Oh Arceus Lily! I am so glad that you are alright. When you fainted after releasing the shockwave, I was so scared. You nearly overwhelmed yourself with the aura! Your body started to crystallize as blue lightning was flowing over your body. I don't know what I would have done if…" The boy was about to continue but Lily's finger on his lips caused him to pause in his panicked monologue. With her violet eyes glowing with happiness and love, the blonde beauty smiled causing the boys heart to skip a beat.

"It's alright Ash. I am fine so no need to think about 'what if's' is there?" Ash nodded in agreement before his face broke out in a small, relived smile. "Then can you tell me how I am still alive? If I remember correctly, you said that in similar situations, the Guardian or squire died."

Gulping heavily, Ash fidgeted around, staring at everything except Lily. Getting exasperated from Ash's procrastination, Lily glared at her raven haired master before putting her palm atop Ash's own calming him down. "You can tell me anything you know. I promise that I won't get mad!"

Taking a shaky breath, Ash nodded to himself before sighing. "I may have, kind of… ah… boundoursoulstogether," Ash exclaimed getting a confused look from Lily. The girl stared in confusion as she tried to decipher what Ash had said. Ash on the other hand was fidgeting around in fear. After what seemed like hours, Lily's eyes widened in shock. With a shaky breath Lily asked with a stutter, "Ca…an you re…rep…eat that? I… I just ne…eeded to be sure."

With a light nod Ash replied, "I used the ritual used during the marriage to bind the souls of the partners to each other to bind our souls. So by the Orders Laws, we are effectively husband and wife. I am sorry that I took away your choice but I don't regret it. The thing that I truly regret is pushing you too far in our spar that you nearly died from aura overflow."

Seeing Ash bow, tears flowing down his handsome face caused an unexplainable pain in Lily's chest. With a sight, Lily pulled Ash's head into her still developing chest as she hugged the grieving boy. "It's not your fault Ash. I shouldn't have let your taunts affect me. I lost control of my emotions and dug out too much aura in a short time to cause the situation. I am sorry that I forced you to lose your choice of spouse, but to tell you the truth, I don't really mind being your wife. Even if we are barely eleven. These past months with you have been some of the best in my short life as a clone. I can see myself falling in love with you in the future anyway. Already my aura calls for me to be with you. If events turned out different, even then I think that we would have ended up in the same situation. So don't blame yourself Ash!"

"Thank for being so understanding Lily but you should know that as the last male of the Ketchum line with only my cousin Queen Ilene as the other Ketchum by blood, I am forced to take seven wives to help repopulate my clan. I hope that you won't regret forgiving me after learning that."

Lily stared in shock for a few moments before closing her eyes in thought. As the silence dragged on, Ash was about to interject when Lily opened her eyes again with them glowing with determination. "I have no problem with sharing you as long as you treat each of us equally!"

"Who do you take me for? I would never treat any of my wives differently!" Ash exclaimed with indignation causing the blond to giggle with mirth. Seeing the blonde giggle, Ash found her too cute to remain angry at her as he joined her in laughter as well. After calming down both sat in companionable silence. As they sat on the bed, Lily decided to lean on Ash, her head resting on his shoulder. After what felt like hours Lily gently clasped Ash's right hand in her own left before speaking up.

"Ash?"

"Yeah Lily?"

"Do you think it would be awkward between us because of the bond?"

"I don't think so. We can just ignore the presence of the bond and treat each other as we have been. No one other than my ace team and my legendries know that we are bonded. I want to keep it that way." Ash said but seeing Lily's expression fall at his declaration he decided to clear up any confusion. "Not that I am ashamed that we are bonded, but I think that it should be need-to-know basis. Most won't understand the bond and our bond hasn't matured enough to manifest physically yet, so I think that we should keep it secret."

Smiling Lily nodded, "I understand. You are right that non-guardians won't understand the bond, though I think you underestimate the strength of our bond. Already I am subconsciously seeking you out. Luckily the bond doesn't force the bond-mates into bed with each other, that's our choice."

"True but as the bond matures, we will want to be closer to each other. Not to mention that we have to have a certain amount of skin-to-skin contact every day. That can be solved by holding hands and hugs." Lily nodded in agreement to Ash's deduction before she wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and snuggled closer to his warmth. Ash didn't react other than wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Ash the other will become suspicious if we suddenly start holding hands, hug intimately and start spending an inordinate amount of time in each other presence without any plausible explanation. How about we pretend to be dating each other. We can say that after nearly losing me, you realized how much you cared about me and asked me to be your girlfriend when I woke up and I said yes. How do you like it?"

With eyes glowing with mischievousness Ash grinned, "Why pretend. I know that we are married by the laws of the Order, but we don't need to make a public declaration. In the future I would have asked you to be my girlfriend after explaining my situation to you, you have grown on me. I would have fallen for you in the future anyway. So milady? Will you do the honor of being this knight's girlfriend?"

With a squeal of delight, Lily brought their foreheads together, their lips almost touching. "I would love to Ash!" Lily said in a gentle whisper before touching their lips in a chaste kiss. After a few moments they parted, both of their faces flushed with equal amounts of pleasure and embarrassment.

"Then I better let you rest Lily. Misty's show is tomorrow morning. I doubt you want to miss it?"

"What? I have been out for a week?" Lily asked in shock. Ash just smiled with sympathy as he nodded. Ash gave the shocked girl a tight hug before getting up from the bed. As he was about to leave, Lily caught hold of Ash's arm. Looking down, Ash saw Lily's face lit up by the sliver light of the full moon. A dark blush gracing her cute face. "Can you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

Ash smiled as he sat down beside her. "Sure thing Lily. If that's what you want. I will always be there for you from now on." Lily smiled before laying down. Ash pulled aside the duvet before climbing into the bed. After getting comfortable, Lily snuggled up beside Ash, laying her head on his chest, right above his heart and let the steady thumping lull her to sleep.

"Goodnight Ash!" Lily mumbled causing Ash to smile before he laid a possessive arm around the girl's waist. "Goodnight Lily," the raven haired boy said as he also fell asleep to the steady breathing of his new girlfriend.

* * *

"Are you sure you should be travelling this soon?"

"Stop worrying Brock. Granted I drew too much aura to fast and collapsed, but I am fine now!" Lily complained with a huff getting smiles from Misty, Ash and Pikachu.

"Toge toge!" both Togepi exclaimed in the arms of their respective foster mother.

"Still! When Ash brought you back to the gym, your body seemed to be crystallizing with blue lightning flowing all over you. I am just worried about you, that's all!"

Lily and Misty grinned at that. They looked at each other before giggling, "That's sweet of you Brock but I am training to become an Aura Guardian. Such things tend to happen to beginners and even to some masters. Luckily Ash was there to stabilize my condition else I would have probably been a large Lily crystal!"

"That's right! How did you save her Ash? When you reached the Gym, your face was so grim. I thought the worst," Misty asked with curiosity.

Ash and Lily shared a look before imperceptibly shaking their heads at each other. After a moments deliberation, Ash finally spoke up in a somber tone. "What I did was a forbidden technique as if it failed, both Lily and I would have died. Other than that I can't tell you. Order Secrets aren't for those who aren't Guardians. Sorry for being less than helpful."

Seeing that Misty was about to argue, Brock spoke up, "That's alright Ash. We understand the need for secrecy. Some information shouldn't ever see the light of day." Misty huffed in annoyance but nodded in agreement. Afterwards the group travelled in silence for a few hours through the forests towards Mt. Moon.

* * *

As the group stopped in a clearing for lunch, Misty's eyes widened in revelation as an idea struck her. Deciding to speak up before everyone started settling down for some rest Misty asked, "Hey guys? Why are we walking to Pewter City when Ash and Pikachu can easily teleport us there?"

Lily and Brock started at red-haired girl in shock. None of them had thought of that solution. Turning towards the subjects of their conversation, they saw the raven haired boy and his loyal Pikachu meditating. both surrounded by an aura of psychic power. Between them, bolts of psychic power were shooting at each other, colliding in the middle.

"What are they doing?" Misty asked to the confusion of everyone there.

"I think they are sparring with only their psychic powers. They must be training to focus their mental abilities more I wonder if a similar training method can be devised for aura?" Lily pondered with a finger placed on her lower lip, looking extremely cute in the process.

"So who's the unlucky one to disturb them?" Misty asked causing Brock to bring out three straws from his jacket pocket.

"One of them has a red end. The one who gets the red one has to do it!" Brock exclaimed to the surprise of both girls.

Leaning over to the blonde, Misty whispered, "Why does he have straws ready?" Lily just shook her head before taking one of the straws and pulled it out. Luckily for her, the end was blue. Misty went next and pulled up another blue straw. Brock hung his head as he revealed the red straw in his hand.

Remembering what happened when Clio once disturbed one of Ash and Pikachu's training sessions, Brock shivered in fear as he complained, "Why me?" Shaking his head, Brock approached the oblivious pair. Behind him, the girls clutched their respective Togepi closer as they took a few steps back.

"Hey Ash, Pikachu, sorry to disturb your training session but we have a question to ask!" Brock muttered quietly as he reached to shake Ash by the shoulder. Before his hand even reached Ash's shoulder, an invisible force caught hold of the older boy and lightly threw him back.

Opening their eyes in confusion, Ash and Pikachu started at Brock, lying on his back. Misty and Lily were at the edge of the clearing staring at them. Ash started at the scene for a moment before he realized what happened. "Oh sorry Brock! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

With a pained chuckle Brock sat up getting relieved sighs from the girls as they approached the two boys. "That's alright Ash. I knew that would happen. Anyway, we have a question to ask you and Pikachu!"

"What do you need?" Ash asked in confusion as the girls reached the boys.

"Why are we walking when you and Pikachu could teleport up to Pewter right now? I don't think it wise for Lily to over extend herself!" Misty asked with an annoyed expression. At first everyone was quiet before Ash and Pikachu started laughing. "What? Did I say anything funny?"

"It's not that Misty!" Ash said as he tried to suppress his laughter. "Both Pikachu and I were waiting for one of you to realize that we could have easily teleported everyone to anywhere we have been. So you want have lunch at Pewter?"

" _You owe me a bottle of ketchup! Misty was the one who asked first!"_

"No I don't! Brock would have asked the same thing!" Ash argued back with the yellow rodent, causing the Mouse Pokémon to glare at his trainer.

"Actually Ash, Misty was the first to realize it. So even if I asked first, you would still owe Pikachu a bottle of ketchup." Brock said, understanding the context of the argument, causing the Mouse Pokémon to perk up in glee. Ash grumbled but stood up. His eyes glowing with suppressed psychic power.

"Everyone's accounted for? Does everyone have their things?"

"Just teleport us Ash!" Misty exclaimed with a face red with anger causing the raven haired boy to nod before everyone in the clearing vanished into thin air.

* * *

"Why are we walking through Viridian Forest?" Misty asked as he nervously looked around for any Bug Pokémon that may come too close to her.

"Because I want to spend the time thinking about the strategy me and my team will be utilizing against the Viridian City Pokémon Gym. The leader uses Ground Pokémon and is known to be very strong, so I will have to have the appropriate strategy." Ash lectured in a matter-of-fact tone causing Misty to huff in discontent. Lily and Brock just smiled but didn't say anything to antagonize their red-haired friend.

As the group walked through the forest, Brock and Misty started noticing the odd behavior Ash and Lily were exhibiting. The last few days, Misty and Brock just thought was a coincidence as the closeness the master and pupil exhibited was due to Lily dying. Now they weren't sure.

"Hey Brock? Have you realized that ever since Lily recovered from the incident, she and Ash has been acting closer than before?" Misty whispered to the older boy causing him to hum in agreement.

"Your right Misty. I think I saw them holding hands when they thought no one was looking. When I stared to confirm that, they were only walking closer than usual, but not holding hands. I thought that I was just seeing things, but now that you mention it."

"You aren't the only one Brock. Even I thought I saw them holding hands. Every time I try to double check, it seems that I was only seeing things." As Misty and Brock carefully scrutinized their two friends, they briefly saw the two holding hands for a few moments before letting go again.

"We were right! They were holding hands, but only for a few moments before letting go. Now that I think about it, both seems friendlier with each other. Do you think they are dating Brock?" Misty asked in a whisper. When no answer came, she turned to see Brock crouching under a tree, drawing circles in the dirt with a finger. A visible cloud of depression floating over him.

"It isn't fair! He is only eleven and already has a girlfriend!" Brock exclaimed catching the attention of Ash, Lily and Pikachu. Turning around, all three sweat dropped at the scene.

"What happened to him?" Lily asked incredulously getting a giggle out of Misty. Lily was clinging to Ash's arm without either even realizing what they were doing.

"Nothing important. It seems that seeing you two together has caused him to become depressed thinking that you two are dating. By the way, congratulations on getting together." Misty said with a cheeky grin causing both aura adepts to blush in embarrassment.

"How did you find out?" Lily began only for Misty to give the couple a cheeky smirk. Brock had suddenly recovered from his fit of depression and was grinning broadly at his two friends.

"You two were careful but slipped up from time to time. Holding hands was the first indication, even if we only caught it for very short moments." Brock explained with a sagely tone. "Next, both of you have been spending an inordinate amount of time in each other's presence. Especially sitting closer than normal. Sneaking away only to return with ruffled hair and clothes. Congratulations, though I wish I had someone like you two have each other."

"Ah, thanks you two! Sorry for hiding it, but as Lily is still my squire, a relationship during this period is frowned upon. So please keep it a secret if we meet members of the Order or my family. At least until Lily has become an Adept rank Guardian."

Seeing Ash and Lily's serious expression, both nodded with a smile. "Sure thing Ash, Lily. Your secret is safe with us. So how long have you two been dating?" Misty asked as they continued walking through the Viridian Forest.

"Not long actually. We got together the night Lily woke up. Anyway, we are close to the exit. I can sense a large number of humans a few miles ahead. We should be arriving within the hour."

"The let's get moving! I want to get out of this bug infested forest as soon as possible!" Misty exclaimed as she started hurrying down the trail they were following.

* * *

A group of four humans, two girls and two boys walked out of the forest with a Pikachu lazing about on the younger boy's backpack. The four came out of the forest to the sight of a small city filled with skyscrapers and trees. As the group walked down the path leading into the city proper, they came across a strange sight. A group of girls in cheer leader outfits were brawling their eyes out as they sat around a red sports car. Inside the car was a brown haired boy. A boy the boy with the Pikachu knew intimately.

"Hey Ash, isn't that Gary?" Lily asked pointing at the group. Ash stared at the group for a moment before nodding.

"Yep, that's Gary alright. Wonder what he's doing moping about?"

"How bout we just ask him?" Ash turned to the older boy in his group and nodded.

"That's a good idea Brock. It isn't normal for Gary to mope about," Ash said as he walked towards the Gary and his cheer leaders with his friends walking following after him. Approaching the group Ash called out, "Hey Gary! Why the long face?"

Startled, the brown haired grandson of the famous Professor Oak looked up to see Ash and his friends. With a sigh, Gary explained, "I challenged the Viridian City Pokémon Gym and ended up being squashed. It seems that the Gym Leader was a member of Team Rocket. recently, Agatha of the Elite Four took over as substitute Gym Leader. I challenged her to a battle and ended up having my team whipped out by a single Pokémon, Agatha's Gengar. It's a bit depressing, especially since me and my team failed to take down the grinning specter."

"That's too bad. You can challenge mom for your eighth badge, that's my plan anyway." Ash said as he tried to comfort the depressed boy only to get a laugh in return.

"Eighth Badge? I already have ten! I just challenged Agatha to see how far I have come. Anyway, better get back home. Gramps and Daisy must be worrying about me. I was supposed to meet them the afternoon. Smell ya later Ashy-boy!" Gary said as he started the engine to his sports car and took off towards Pallet Town.

Coughing from the smoke and dust the car left behind, Ash grumbled out, "He never changes. Even after being humbled by Agatha! Come on guys, I want to challenge Agatha to an unofficial match!" With that said, Ash took off down the road towards the Viridian City Pokémon Gym.

* * *

Entering the massive structure that served as the Viridian City Pokémon Gym, Ash and his friends were met by an old lady with blonde hair and wearing an apron over a pink dress. "Hello dears! Are you here to challenge for an Earth Badge?"

"No. I am here to challenge you to an unofficial one-on-one Pokémon battle. I want to see how far I have come before I challenge mom for the Diamond Badge," Ash remarked confidently getting a surprised look from Agatha. The elder Elite Four member observed Ash for a few moments before grinned.

"So you are Delia's kid. She could have easily joined the Elite Four you know. She nearly defeated me. At the time, I was the strongest among the Elite Four. Now Lance has taken that place. Anyway, I accept your challenge. It should be fun!" The woman said with a grin that was mirrored on Ash's face.

Walking to the other side of the battle field, Agatha stopped and turned to face her challenger. Ash stood on the unoccupied side, closer to the door with a grin on his face. "I hope you don't expect me to take it easy on you Ash!"

"Not at all Agatha, come at me with your strongest. Now take the field Zygarde!" Ash called out releasing the doglike form of the Order Pokémon. Agatha only raised an eyebrow as she released her faithful Gengar.

"Gengar this is the child of Delia Richards, the one who nearly defeated us fifteen years ago. Let's see how he does shall we!"

"Gen gengar!" Gengar exclaimed excitedly as he floated in one place. The referee took his position and declared the battle to start. Without wasting a moment, both trainers ordered their respective Pokémon to attack.

"Gengar use **Shadow Ball**!"

"Counter it with **Dragon Pulse**!"

Gengar conjured up a ball of pitch black energy with white electricity floating around it and threw it at Zygarde who countered it with a violet shockwave of draconic energy. Both attacks met in the middle of the field and exploded shrouding the whole area in smoke.

"Gengar use **Icy Wind**!"

Form within the smoke, the Shadow Pokémon conjured up a gust of freezing cold wind that easily blew away smoke, leaving minute ice crystals behind on the battle field. To Agatha and her Gengar's surprise, Zygarde just puffed out of existence. Unfortunately, Gengar's was quick enough to react to Zygarde's next attack. A cluster of steel colored orbs exploded where Gengar was previously causing small clumps of dirt to fly up.

"Now Zygarde, get in close with **Extremespeed** and use **Glare**!" Ash called out causing Agatha to curse.

"Gengar phase out!" Agatha called out but unfortunately Zygarde was faster. Right before Gengar could phase out of existence, Zygarde appeared in front of him and glared right into the eyes of the Shadow Pokémon with green glowing eyes. Gengar froze in fear.

"Now Zygarde use **Bite** and raise Gengar into the air!" With white glowing fangs, Zygarde chomped down on Gengar's leg and effortlessly raised the Shadow Pokémon into the air.

"Gengar! Try and get free!" Agatha called out in panic. She had seen a similar tactic used by Red once. She knew that the result was devastating. So did her Gengar. Struggle as he might, the Shadow Pokémon was barely able to move due to paralysis and pain.

"Finish it off with **Draco Meteor**!" As Ash commanded, Zygarde's belly glowed with intense orange energy. After a couple of moments charging, the energy travelled up to the throat before bursting out from Zygarde's mouth in an intense orb of draconic energy. The ball enshrouded Gengar and flew to the top of the room before exploding in a multitude of smaller meteors of orange draconic energy. With one of the meteors, Gengar fell down and collided with the ground before the orange ball of energy exploded. All around the battle field the other meteors collided with the ground and exploded.

"Gengar! Are you alright?" Agatha called out in worry. Ash on the other hand smiled and motioned for Zygarde to retreat and stand in front of him. After a few terse moments, the smoke cleared to reveal a knocked out Gengar and multiple craters on the neutral battle field. With a sigh, Agatha returned her Gengar with a quiet word of encouragement.

"That was an intense and quick battle Ash. I didn't expect such skill and power from one so young. I can see why Lance and Lorelei thinks that you will be soon taking the crown of Kanto Champion. Keep up the good work and good luck battling your mother. I will tell you, she is a tough one!"

Ash just smiled as he patted Zygarde on his back before speaking, "Thanks Agatha. I will see you and the other Elite Four at the end of the Summer when I take the Elite Four Challenge!"

"My so confident. What makes you think that there aren't other trainers just as skill and powerful as you participating this year? Being confident is good but overconfidence will lead to bitter disappointment young Ash. I hope that you take my advice to heart. It will help you and your team reach the stars."

"I will keep that in mind Agatha. You should know that Zygarde is a Gamma Class Legendary Pokémon. He wanted to he how strong he was at 35% strength. Thanks for helping him out!"

"Don't mention it Ash. It is the job of the older generation to guide and be the measuring stick for the next generation. Like I said, it was a pleasure. I don't get good fights like this. I will look forward to your challenge. I want my final battle before retiring to be a memorable one and I expect you to battle me and my team with normal Pokémon, not legendries."

With a grin and a nod, Ash and his friends walked out of the Gym. After the group had left for a few minutes, a man walked out from the shadows. The man wore a red cape and had red hair. "So what do you think Agatha?"

"It is as you said Lance. Ash has a lot of potential still locked away but he is quickly unleashing that potential. Already he can easily defeat my Gengar, even if it is with a Legendary Pokémon. That I no easy feat." Lance laughed at that.

"True! Even I have trouble handling that monster of a Gengar. Anyway see you at the League Agatha. Charles wants both the Kanto Elite Four and the Jhoto Champion and Elite four there for some reason. He even invited the other Champions and their Elite Four's but only the new Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia, and her Elite Four will be joining us."

"Humm… that is most unlike Charles. What is he planning?"

"Don't know but I have to be off. I have a G-Men meeting to get to. Ciao!" Lance said before walking out of the Gym, leaving Agatha deep in thought.


	13. Chapter 12 - The Diamond Challenge

_**Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Pokémon. It all belongs to GameFreak and Nintendo. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and OC's that are present within the story.**_

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

 **Attacks (Pokémon/Aura Based)**

 _Pokédex_

' _Pokéthoughts'_

" _Telepathic Speech / Aura Translation of Pokéspeech"_

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – The Diamond Challenge**

The group of four trainers and six Pokémon were walking through a forest heading south towards the home town of one of their members. The two Togepi were happily chattering about in the arms of their respective foster mothers. A Pikachu was sitting on the back of a green and black dog like Pokémon while a bipedal fox silently walked behind the group. A Psyduck was stumbling about beside the red haired girl, clutching his head in pain.

"Come on Psyduck. You've already learned **Calm Mind**. Try to constantly use it to keep the head ache away!" The red haired girl said with exasperation to the yellow Duck Pokémon.

"Psy!" Psyduck asked with a confused stare getting a sigh from Misty.

"Don't worry Misty. Psyduck recently learned **Calm Mind**. Soon he won't even have to concentrate to keep it up. Till then don't stress him out. His head ache will only increase instead of decrease." Brock said with a matter of fact tone getting a glare from the redhead.

Misty stopped glaring at Brock before releasing a heavy sigh, "I didn't realize training a Psyduck was this hard. How do other trainers handle them?"

"It may be that case that your Psyduck has a stronger headache than most. Why don't you have Professor Oak give him a checkup? He may also be suffering from some disease that isn't well known or even new." Ash said with a smile causing Misty to smile as well.

"That's a good idea Ash. Remind me to do exactly that if I forget."

"Sure thing Misty! All of us will remind you!" Lily said with a grin causing the redhead to grin as well.

"Hey Ash? How much longer till we reach Pallet. It's nearing lunch time!" Brock, the eldest boy of the group asked the youngest.

" _Not much farther. About two miles more. We have to pass through a large field and then up a small hill."_ Ferrum, the fox like Pokémon, a Lucario said getting a nod from the brown haired boy.

* * *

As the group reached the peak of the hill, they saw a small but beautiful town lay sprawling from the foot of hill to the sea. The afternoon sunlight glinting off the river that ran through the town and flowed into the sea. To the west side of the town, on a small hill stood a large mansion with a large fenced off area lying behind it. Near the center of town, a large Resturant was seen with a pokéball symbol on it. A Pokémon center and a PokéMart were seen in the center of the town. Overall the town had a largely peaceful rustic feel to it.

"Wow!" Misty called out in awe with Brock nodding in agreement.

"The town is beautiful Ash!" Lily exclaimed as she held onto Ash's arm in excitement.

"Thanks guys but it can be boring as well especially to those who have grown up here. That's one of the reasons I decided to also become a Pokémon Trainer on top of my Aura Guardian duties. So that I could have an excuse to travel around. Follow me guys. We better head to Professor Oak's first and then to my place. Mom should be home by then."

"Lead the way Ash!" Lily said with a smile, Brock and Misty nodding in agreement.

"Return Psyduck! We don't need you to wander off again!" Misty said as she returned her Psyduck and walked after Ash, Lily and Brock. Ferrum having decided to lead Zygarde as Pikachu napped on the Order Pokémon.

It took the group half-an-hour to reach Professor Oak's Research Lab, though the group travelled at a leisurely pace. Walking up the steps towards the door, Ash rang the doorbell and waited. His friend and Pokémon standing behind him. it didn't take long for a teenaged girl with blonde hair to open the door.

"Hello may I… ASH!" The girl exclaimed on recognizing the boy smiling at her. Pulling the boy into a quick hug, the girl released him before excitedly started speaking. "You should have told us you would be back so soon! Delia would have liked make a feast for you and your friends!"

"Nice to see you too Daisy!" Ash said with a laugh before deciding to introduce his friends to her. "Guys this is Daisy Oak, Professor Oak's granddaughter and Gary's elder sister. She tends to either help the professor around the lab or help mom at the restaurant. Daisy these are Brock, Misty and Lily."

"Nice you meet you all. I hope that Ash didn't cause any problems for you. He it's a bit head strong." Daisy said getting a small huff from said boy.

"Not at all Daisy and nice to meet you as well." Lily said with a smile.

"I am Brock but I can tell you had already figured it out. Nice to meet you as well Daisy."

"And I am Misty. Nice to meet you."

"Hey Daisy? Is the Professor in?"

Daisy turned back to Ash with a grin, "Sure he is. Gramps is actually talking with Professor Kukui, the Alola Regions Regional Professor, about research into something called Z-Moves and their connecting to the corresponding Z-Crystal and the bond between trainer and Pokémon. I will lead you there." Daisy said letting the group into the lab. Following Daisy into the sitting room, the group met the Elder Oak talking with a relatively young man with black hair and a goatee.

"Hey Gramps! Look whose here," Daisy said interrupting the conversation her grandfather was having with the other Professor.

"Oh Ash and friends! Thank you for bringing them here Daisy. Kids have a sit. This is Professor Kukui from Alola." Kukui waved in hello, "I am still waiting for Gary to come back from the Harbor with Dr. Kenshin and Sir Kenway. They should be here soon. Have some tea and biscuits." Oak offered as the kids sat down in some of free couches and recliners.

"Professor? Why are Dr. Kenshin and Sir Kenway coming here? They never leave HQ!" Ash asked confused getting a surprised look from Oak and Kuikui, though both for different reasons.

"How do you know that young man?" Kukui asked in surprise.

"You didn't tell him Professor?"

"Ah must have slipped my mind. Kukui, Ash here is the present Grand Master of the Order. He may be young but he has already proved himself." Kukui nodded in understanding, "Ash, to answer your question, I called Dr. Kenshi and Sir Kenway so that Kukui and I could compare some notes with the Orders notes."

"The Z-Moves? Daisy told us." Ash said getting a nod from the two Professors. "Can you tell me more about them?"

Kukui looked at Oak, who nodded for him to go ahead and explain. "Well you see, with the use of certain crystals we call Z-Crystals in Alola, Pokémon with strong bonds with their trainers or with humans they trust to perform a certain set of synchronized movements to build up Z-Power and then release that power in a devastating move that we call Z-Move. There are eighteen general Z-Crystals. One for each known type. There are also some special Z-Crystals specific to some Pokémon like Pikashunium Z that cause a Pikachu to release the Z-Move **10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt** when the Pikachu releases the pent up energy in a **Thunderbolt**. Pikachu seems to have a second Z-Move that requires Pikanium Z. It's called **Catastropika** and it requires the Pikachu to know **Volt** **Tackle**."

"They sound much like our own **Sync Strike**. We don't require the Z-Crystals but a strong bond and a perfect synchronization between the aura of Guardian and their partner Pokémon is required. We just never gave the attacks any special moves. Does a Fighting type move cause the Pokémon to rush in start beating up the opponent with power exceeding their original limits?" Kukui stared in surprise. Ash described exactly what happens in such a case.

"That's right Ash. **All-Out Pummeling** causes the Pokémon to thrash their opponent with exceedingly strong strikes though the power seems to vary a bit."

"That may be due to the fighting type move the power is being channeled through. Isn't that right Master Kenway? You and your Mienshao are the ones who have mastered **Sync Strike**!" Ash called out surprising everyone.

"That's right Grand Master. You and some of your partners should learn the technique. It can come in handy in the future." A middle aged man with graying red hair said as he walked into the sitting room with a Mienshao at his heels. Behind him came an old man wearing an ornate formal kimono in deep emerald green with pink cherry blossoms. Over it he wore a white lab coat. Finally entered Gary with a shocked face.

"How much did you three hear?" Oak asked after regaining his composure.

"From when the Grand Master described **Sync Strike**. I must say that after reading the report on these Z-Move our **Sync Strike** technique did come to mind. That's why I came along."

"Your research is well done young Kukui. Do you have a few of these crystals? A recent study we did on megastones and key stones revealed that they allow the auras of the trainer and Pokémon to synchronize leading to why I call the bond phenomenon. The bond allows the Pokémon to temporarily reach Mega state before reverting again. I believe that the crystals also help facilitate a similar state comparable to that of the synchronization during a **Sync Strike**." Kenshin said as he sat down on a recliner. Kenway sat beside Ash and Lily on the couch.

"That is an interesting concept. Then Mega Evolution and Z-Moves should have been exclusive to Aura Guardians but with the revelation of the key stones, mega stones and Z-Crystals, they can be used by anyone with a strong bond with their Pokémon. How about a demonstration?" Oak asked getting agreeing nods from the group.

* * *

The group of three Pokémon Researchers, three Aura Guardians and three trainers were assembled in the Pallet Town Pokémon Gym with Daisy Oak and Delia Ketchum. Brock and Misty looked on in awe at the amazing structure they were inside. All around the walls were bleachers for people to watch battles. The whole roof of the structure was retractable allowing for full aerial combat. The field was a changeable one with mixed terrains. At present a combination Rock-Water Field was on display. Most of the terrain was rocky while a large artificial pond stood in the middle with a stream running into it from the east side. Another stream ran away from the pond towards the south side of the building.

"Wow! Our Gyms seem so bland in comparison to yours Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty said with an awed expression getting a giggle from the aging mother. Delia was wearing a long yellow summer dress with yellow flats. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled up in high ponytail.

"Why thank you Misty and please call me Delia. Calling me Mrs. Ketchum makes me feel so old." Misty and Brock nodded, their faces still frozen in awe. Beside them Lily was looking around taking the whole structure in. Her Togepi cheering in her arms.

"I must ask Delia! How did you get the inspiration for this design?" Brock asked as Sir Kenway and his Mienshao took their position opposite Professor Kukui and his Incineroar. Professor Oak and Dr. Kenshin standing at the edge of the battle field. A Porygon floating beside Dr. Kenshin, ready to record the demonstration.

"To tell you the truth I didn't. Serena, a friend of Ash's, live in Kalos. She told me that the Kalos League Victory Tournament uses such fields. She sent us a video of the semi-finals and the finals of the Lumioise Conference from about two years ago. After seeing the features, I just fell in love with them. It also goes well with my Gym. My theme is use of the field to your advantage. So this is the perfect setup." Delia said with a grin. Brock and Misty nodded in comprehension.

"Alright you two when every you are ready!" Professor Oak called out getting nods from the two on the field.

"Ready Incineroar!"

"Incine…ROAR!"

Kukui nodded as he crossed his arms, his arm bearing the Z-Ring in front. After that he went through a sequence of poses before calling out, " **Malicious Moonsault**!" All the while Incineroar kneeled in front of his trainer as he glowed with an aura of power. When Kukui finally called out the name of the Z-Move, Incineroar grinned as he charged at Mienshao and then jumped into the air, his body bursting into dark red flames. Incineroar performed a flip before he fell atop Mienshao in a full flying press. Just as the attack was about to hit, Mienshao created a barrier of green energy. A simple **Protect** to defend herself. When Incineroar collided with the barrier, a tall plume of dark red flames erupted from the collision. When the flames finally subsided, Incineroar was seen panting beside a slight burned Mienshao.

"It seems that your Z-Move is similar to **Sync Strike** after all. The amount of power generated by the attack was nothing less than astounding. Let Mienshao and I show you the true power of **Sync Strike**!" Kenway said as he and Mienshao glowed with their auras pulsing in a synchronized manner. The pulsing increase as Kenway and Mienshao kept synchronizing their auras. When done, Kenway stopped glowing as the nimbus of power around Meinshao doubled before she suddenly charged in with great speed and started pummeling Incineroar with powerful physical strikes and large orbs of blue aura. When Meinshao finally ran out of steam, she dropped onto her knees breathing very heavily. In front of her Incineroar was lying on his back completely out cold.

"Return Incineroar. Thank you for your help old friend." Kukui said as her returned his starter. As Kukui was thanking his Incineroar, Kenway approached Mienshao and placed a glowing hand on her shoulder. The gentle glow suffused all of her body. When the glow disappeared a few minutes later, all of her burns were gone though she still looked tired.

"Interesting readings came up from the analysis of the demonstrations. It seems that the Z-Move can be considered a bastardized variant of the **Sync Strike**. Both gave similar readings of synchronization and power sharing but Kenway and Mienshao's reading was at least greater by a factor of three." Dr. Kenshin said as he read studied the data his Porygon generated as it analyzed the demonstration. Oak nodded in agreement.

"That is really interesting. Kukui, didn't you say that one has to earn the Z-Crystals by defeating the guardian totem Pokémon?"

"That's right Professor Oak. On both counts. Interestingly, if anyone not worth uses a Z-Ring, the crystal will shatter. Surprisingly when one crystal shatters, another is formed near where the totem of that particular crystal lives. The crystals I am talking about are the general type ones. Not the specific species ones."

"That is as interesting as it is mysterious. After we have a few more Knights, I would love to send a couple to study the phenomenon from the perspective of an Aura Guardian." Kenshin said getting a nod of agreement from Kukui and Oak.

"Ahem! If you are all done. I would like to advise you to vacate the premises. Let us head to the restaurant for an early dinner. They you three scientists can discuss your findings and Professor Kukui give your Incineroar to Magik here. He will take him to Nurse Joy." Delia said as she released Magik.

"Oh thank you."

" _Don't mention it!"_ Magik said as he took the pokéball containing Incineroar and teleported himself to the Pokémon Centre.

"Did your Alakazam just use telepathy?" Kukui asked in shock only for Pikachu to answer, _"Is it really that shocking. Me, I can understand, but Alakazam are powerful psychic types. You should expect telepathy from them, especially those as powerful as Magik!"_ Kukui stared in silence for a few moments before his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell down in a dead faint.

" _Some Pokémon Researcher he is. Can't even take a small surprise like a Psychic Pikachu. Telepathy isn't even that difficult to learn."_

" _That's enough Pikachu. Granted any Pokémon who learns to tap into aura can use telepathy, but you must realize that there have been very few Aura Guardians in a long time. Most abilities are now considered fables._ " Angel chided as she released herself from her pokéball.

"That's enough you two and Pikachu, Angel is right. You don't need to be so sarcastic." Ash said as the he levitated Professor Kukui behind him and walked out of the Gym with the others following him.

" _We will see you at home Ash! And don't worry about our dinner. I know about a couple of good berry bushes near Pallet. We will gorge ourselves on them."_

"Sure thing Angel but remember to not stay out to long. We have to battle mom in the morning!" Angel and Pikachu just nodded before they ran out of the Gym and towards the forests surrounding Pallet Town.

* * *

The next morning, Ash was standing in the challenger's side of the Pallet Town Pokémon Gym Battlefield. His mother was standing in the Gym Leaders side. The bleachers were filled with Pallet Town natives along with the visitors. Misty, Brock, Lily, Sir Kenway, Dr. Kenshin, Professor Kukui and Gary Oak were sitting with Professor Oak in a VIP box right behind the challenger. Daisy was standing in as the Referee.

"Are both trainers ready?" Daisy called and waited for confirmation. When both Delia and Ash nodded Daisy continued. "This is an official Gym Challenge between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Delia Ketchum the Pallet Gym Leader. This will be six one-on-one battles, no substitution. The side to loose four Pokémon first will lose. Now the battle field will be chosen!"

A large holographic wheel formed within which a pointer started moving around the wheel. The wheel was separated into multiple sectors. Each sector being marked by two elements with one sector being blank. When the pointer came to a stop, it stopped on an Ice/Rock field. Soon after, the hologram vanished and the previous Water/Rock sank into the floor and moved away to make room for the new Ice/Rock field to enter and raise up.

The field was similar to the previous Water/Rock field. The only difference was the absence of a pond in the middle and ice was scatter around the rocky terrain making it hard for some Pokémon move around.

"An Ice/Rock field has been chosen at random. Trainers release your first Pokémon!" Daisy called causing Delia to release a Exeggutor and Ash to release his Serperior, Midori.

"Palmy, take the stage!"

"Midori, I choose you!"

"Exeggutor vs Serperior! BEGIN!"

"Palmy douse the area in **Poison Powder**!" Delia called out.

"Counter with **Defog**! Then use **Strength** on the field!" Ash called out causing many of the observers to mummer in surprise.

As Palmy released a cloud of poisonous dust, Midori swung her tail releasing a wave of white air. When the wave of air struck the approaching cloud of purple poison, there was a small flash before the poisonous dust cleared up. As the Defog did its job, Midori struck the ground with all her might, her body glowing with a white aura, causing shockwaves to erupt form the point of contact.

"Palmy jump and then use **Egg Bomb**!"

"Exeggutor!" Palmy called out as he jumped to avoid the shockwaves that left portions of the ice shattered and the rocky ground fractured, not that anyone payed attention to that small fact. Exeggutor launched a glowing egg shaped bomb at Midori only for the large green serpent to stop it with a **Reflect** barrier.

"So you are already commanding her using telepathy. That's a good strategy Ash but you forgot that I am an empath. I can sense when you do such a thing! Palmy use **Sunny Day**!" As soon as Palmy landed back on the battlefield, he launched a ball of white energy into the sky causing the sunlight to intensify. "Now charge in **Stomp**!"

" _Midori dodge and counter with_ _ **Brutal Swing**_ _!"_ Ash commanded telepathically getting a nod form Midori. As she prepared to attack her opponent, she was surprised when Palmy charged forward at speeds far exceeding his previous limits. Luckily she was able to dodge most of the **Stomp** attack, Palmy only scoring a glancing hit on her side. With a growl, Midori swung her tail around, glowing with a dark sinister aura.

"Palmy get out of there!" Delia called out but too late since Midori struck Palmy in the stomach and launched him back a couple of feet. As Palmy was getting back on his feet, he was doused in green fluid that Midori regurgitated on him at Ash's command.

* * *

"Ash isn't holding back and neither is Delia. That was **Gastro Acid**. That is a rare attack few Pokémon can learn but it is powerful." Oak said getting the attention for the kids in the booth.

"How so Professor?" Misty asked with curiosity.

It wasn't Oak who answered but Kukui, " **Gastro Acid** suppresses the doused Pokémon's special ability. Form what I can deduce, that Exeggutor has the ability Chlorophyll. It doubles the bearers speed during bright sunshine. That's why Delia had Exeggutor use **Sunny Day**."

"True but it seems that Ash has already reached the same conclusion. Since he saw Midori having problems Palmy's new speed, he quickly had Midori nullify the advantage. Now let's watch and see how this turns out." Oak said with a grin.

Gary only looked on in awe at the battle happening on the field. Delia called out a **Solar Beam** attack only for Midori to counter it with her own. Surprisingly the clashing beams stayed stabilized for nearly half-a-minute before an explosion occurred at the point of contact obscuring the field in smoke.

"Midori use **Twister**!" Ash called out causing Gary to stare in surprise.

"Why would he call out an attack like **Twister** at a time like this?"

"That's just his strategy. He plans to use the smoke and broken chunks of ice and rock right below the explosion point to increase the potency of the **Twister** attack." Lily explained and that's just what happened. Midori's **Twister** attack drew up the chunks of ice and rock that got loose during the explosion and raged towards the panting Exeggutor.

* * *

"Use **Psychic** to return it back!" Delia called out causing Exeggutor to stand up straight as his eyes glowed with psychic power. The swirling pillar of raging wind and debris stopped cold in its tracks before it rushed back towards its creator. A faint bluish-white aura around it.

" _Return it back with_ _ **Mirror Coat**_ _. Then finish it off with_ _ **Forest's Rage**_ _!"_ Ash said seeing both Midori and Exeggutor getting really tired, even if the battle was barley five minutes long. The clashing of **Solar Beam** attacks and keeping it up for nearly half-a-minute tired out both Pokémon.

Everyone stared in shock as the Midori's body glowed with a strange yellow energy coat. To everyone's surprise when the **Twister** struck the coat, it reversed direction as it grew in strength. Palmy focused more of his psychic power to suppress the twister only for Midori to glow a faint green.

"Palmy use **Calm Mind** to focus your mind more!" Delia said causing the eyes of another head to change the intensity of its glowing eyes. Suddenly, where Palmy was struggling, now he was easily crushing the spiraling column of destructive winds. "Great job Palmy!"

"Sorry about this mom!' Ash called out getting confused looks form everyone, including his mother. Only Lily stared in shock at what she saw. The glow around Midori grew as her green coat glowed with barely suppressed grass aura. When the glow grew enough to attract everyone's attention, Midori slammed her tail on the ice covered rocky ground causing a shockwave of green energy to flow out of the point of contact. Everyone stared in confusion just before a large number of spiny vines glowing with the green energy broke through the rocky ground.

"SER… PERIOR!" Midori screamed out as she sent the whole mass of writhing vines at the surprised Palmy.

"Palmy use **Protect**!" Delia called out causing the Coconut Pokémon to cover himself in a spherical green barrier. At first it seemed that the barrier would hold before cracks started appearing everywhere the glowing vines struck until the barrier shattered. Delia only sighed as the vines started thrashing Palmy around. After a couple of moments, Midori let the vines wither into dust revealing an unconscious Palmy with his body covered in many bruises.

"Winner Serperior and Ash! Trainers release your second Pokémon!"

Ash and Delia returned their respective Pokémon with a small thanks before releasing their second Pokémon. Delia released a large doll like Pokémon with a black body and multiple eyes. Ash on the other hand released Ferrum, his trusty Lucario.

"Dolly, take the stage!"

"Ferrum, I choose you!"

"Claydol vs Lucario! BEGIN!"

"Dolly start it off with **Heal Block** and then use **Earth Power**!" Both Dolly and Ferrum glowed red before the aura faded causing Ferrum to growl in irritation before jumping out of the way as the ground below him erupted with flaming power.

"Retaliate with **Aura Sphere** and get in close with **Frozen Mirage**!" Ash commanded causing Ferrum to smirk. Throwing an orb of explosive aura onto the ground, Ferrum used the smoke as cover to hide his next sequence of attacks. After a few moments, the smoke cleared to reveal Ferrum just standing there waiting form Dolly to attack.

"Don't let your guard down Dolly. They are up to something! Use **Charge Beam**!" Dolly charged up an orb of yellow electricity before launching a beam of concentrated electricity at Ferrum. To both of their surprise, the Ferrum in front of them vanished in a puff of smoke. Before either could react, Ferrum reappeared beside the Clay Doll Pokémon with his fists glowing with icy blue energy. With a battle cry, Ferrum started pounding Dolly with a reckless combo of punches and kicks, leaving frozen patches on Dolly's body as it cried out in pain.

" **Gyro Ball** to throw him back and then counter with **Drill Run**." Delia calmly stated causing Dolly's arms to glow with silver steel energy as it started spinning in place. Ferrum was thrown back from the sudden revolution of his target and before he could react, Dolly rammed into him, head first, spinning like a drill. Ferrum cried out in pain and before he could recover, Dolly had him captured in the grip of a powerful **Psychic** attack. "End this with **Explosion**!"

"Ferrum! Get out of there!" Ash cried out in panic causing Ferrum to start channeling a massive amount of aura to fight out of the psychic grip of his opponent but before he could muster up enough aura, Dolly glowed orange before exploding, releasing a massive shockwave. Everyone waited with bated breath for the smoke to clear but Ash just sighed before pointing Ferrum's pokéball at the smoke cloud and returned him. When the smoke cleared, everyone was shocked to see Dolly still standing, but just barely.

"Winner Claydol and Delia! Trainers release your third Pokémon!" Delia smirked as she returned Dolly with a quiet thank you and took out another pokéball.

"Gliphy, take the stage!" Delia said as she released her Sigilphy.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said as Pikachu jumped onto the field from Ash's shoulder.

"Sigilphy vs Pikachu! BEGIN!"

" **Quick Attack** into **Electro Ball**!" Ash commanded causing Pikachu to rush in at lightning speed leaving behind a trail of afterimages, all covered in a white aura. At the edge of Pikachu's tail, a ball of yellow electricity had formed.

" **Light Screen** , then **Air** **Slash**!" Delia said causing Gilphy to erect a bluish barrier in front of him just as Pikachu jumped into the air and pivoted, lobbing the ball of electricity at the Avianoid Pokémon. the **Electro Ball** struck the barrier and exploded. Small sparks struck Gilphy but barely shocked him. With a cry, the Avianoid Pokémon launched three blades of green air at the Mouse Pokémon.

" **Electrify**!" Ash exclaimed causing Pikachu to create a barrier of yellow energy. When the blades of air passed through the barrier, they turned yellow and were promptly absorbed by Pikachu. "Now use **Gravity**!"

"Gilphy! Are you alright?" Delia asked as her Sigilphy had suddenly collided with the ground right after Pikachu's eyes glowed blue.

"SIGIL!"

"Alright then! Use **Heat Wave**!" Gilphy's wings glowed red before he flapped the hard releasing a blistering wind at Pikachu.

"Counter with **Mirror Coat** , then **Teleport** into **Volt Tackle**!" Ash said causing Delia's eyes to widen in shock.

"Gilphy use **Future Sight**! If we are going to lose, we will take Pikachu with us!" Delia said causing Gilphy's eyes to glow for a moment just as the wave of blistering wind struck Pikachu, who was glowing with yellow energy. The wave turned back towards the grounded and immobilized Avainoid Pokémon. As the wave of blistering wind consumed the downed Pokémon, Pikachu teleported above Gilphy before being coated in an intense aura of yellow lightning.

" _Eat lightning!"_ Pikachu exclaimed before he shot down at the immobilized Avainoid Pokémon just as the wave of blistering wind passed by revealing him to be left with intense burns. Pikachu collided with Gilphy just before he was struck by a sudden explosion, throwing the Mouse Pokémon back and covering the whole area in smoke. It took a few moments before the smoke thinned enough to reveal the outcome.

Pikachu was panting, crouched on all fours. His yellow fur drenched in sweat and grime. On the other side of the battle field, Gilphy was knocked out unconscious. With a sigh, Delia returned Gilphy.

"Thank you for the hard work Gilphy. It was my mistake to underestimate Ash and his Pokémon. I was so sure that Pikachu didn't have the endurance to survive the **Future Sight** attack after suffering the recoil from **Volt Tackle**. Have a nice long rest old friend."

"Great job buddy, but your endurance can do with a bit more work." Ash said as Pikachu teleported himself onto Ash's shoulder.

" _I know. A simple Future Sight weakened me too much! This shouldn't happen!"_

"Sigilphy is unable to battle. This round goes to Pikachu and Ash. Trainers release your fourth Pokémon!"

"Slowy, take the stage!" Delia called out releasing a Slowking.

"Blaze, I choose you!" Ash said releasing his giant of a Charizard. Blaze appeared in a flash of red light before releasing a massive roar that let out concussive shockwaves.

* * *

"What a magnificent Pokémon. I don't think I have seen another Charizard as strong and healthy as this specimen." Professor Kukui said with awe as he took out a camera and took a few pictures. "Not to mention the size of this one. This Charizard easily stands about a foot taller than the average size of the species."

"That is one monster of a Charizard! I don't remember him giving off this much power the last time I saw him!" Gary said with awe. Lily and Misty giggled as Brock chuckled getting confused look from Gary and Professor Kukui.

"That's the Charizard he raised from an egg, right Kenway?"

"Absolutely Dr. Kenshin. It truly seems that the Grand Master has done a good job raising him. What a magnificent aura!" Sir Kenway said getting a nod from Lily.

"That's true. Blaze's aura is like a massive bonfire. And Gary, the last time you saw Blaze, he wasn't getting ready to battle. Here he is raring to go. What you are feeling is the aura of power that Blaze is manifesting as he directs his battle lust at his opponent."

"What Lily said is true. I have seen such behavior from Richard's Charizard as well as Lances and my own. The ones on their level rarely shows their true power as they feel it is beneath them." Oak said getting a wide eyed look from Gary.

* * *

"Slowking vs Charizard! BEGIN!"

"Start it off with **Sunny Day** and then use **Solar Beam**!" Ash said causing Blaze to release a ball of yellow energy into the air. Within moments, the sunlight in the gym intensified. Blaze then opened his mouth, as solar energy gathered in it forming an orb of yellow energy. When the orb was barely fitting in Blaze's mouth, he launched the collected energy in a massive beam of yellow solar energy.

" **Protect** then **Disable**!" Delia calmly said causing the Royal Pokémon to conjure up a green barrier around himself. The beam of solar energy buffeted the barrier for a few moments before dispersing revealing the barrier had cracked but still standing. Within moments, the barrier dissipated as Slowy's eyes glowed blue along with Blaze's body. When the glow subsided, Blaze and Ash growled in annoyance. "Now use **Power Gem**!"

Multiple glowing gems formed around Slowy before he sent them flying at Blaze with great speed. "Block it with **Steel Wings** then use **Belly Drum**!" Ash commanded causing Blaze's wings to be covered in a silver glow. Blaze spurn around and used his glowing wings to shatter the approaching gems to glowing dust before stopping. He then started beating his hands on his belly as his body was covered in an intense red glow.

"Use **Water Pulse** Slowy and then follow up with **Thunder Wave**." Slowy created a ball of compressed blue water in between his hands before throwing it at Blaze and followed it up by releasing waves of electric energy. The ball of compressed water was just about to hit Blaze when he finished beating his belly. With a show of fangs, his claws glowed silver. Then with a roar, he slashed through the ball causing it to disperse in a burst of water. Then the waves of yellow electricity struck him causing small bolts of yellow electricity to flow around his body.

* * *

"Ash seems to be in a bit of a bind now." Oak said getting nods from everyone except Ash's friends.

"What do you mean Grandpa? Granted that Blaze is paralyzed but that isn't a real game changer. He seems strong enough to at least draw with Slowy."

"Not exactly Gary. What you said is true but Blaze had sacrificed half of his stamina to strengthen his physical strength to its max with **Belly Drum**. He can take and give only so much before the remaining half of his is gone. This will be very hard for Ash now."

"Not really Professor. Just look and see!" Lily said with a grin as Blaze rammed his glowing claws into the ground. To everyone but Lily's shock, the residual electricity flowed down the glowing claws and dispersed into the rocky ground.

"That's surprising but not shocking. Metal is a good conductor of electricity after all." Professor Kukui said getting nods from Professor Oak and Dr. Kenshin.

* * *

"That's a good counter for electric types Ash, but that won't win you the battle! Slowy use **Future Sight**!" Delia said causing Slowy's eyes to glow blue.

"Blaze lets finish this as soon as possible! Use **Aerial Ace** into **Brutal Swing**!" Ash exclaimed causing Blaze to fly up into the air before suddenly vanishing and reappearing behind Slowy with white streaks of energy flowing off the Flame Pokémon's body. Ramming into the surprised Royal Pokémon, Blaze grabbed hold of his tail and then brutally rammed the surprised water/psychic type into the rocky ground.

"Slowy!" Delia exclaimed.

"Now finish it off with **Outrage**!" Ash said with a grin. A matching grin appeared on Blaze's face as his body started glowing with violet-orange draconic energy. With a roar that released powerful shockwaves, Blaze started to brutally beat up Slowy until the Royal Pokémon lost consciousness. At the end, after Blaze finished his rampage, an explosion occurred nearly knocking him out.

"Slowking is unable to battle. The winner is Ash and his Charizard. Trainers release your fifth Pokémon!" Daisy said from the sidelines as Delia returned Slowy with a small smile.

"You did well old friend. Now take a good long rest." Delia said as she returned her Slowking before taking out another pokéball.

"Take some rest buddy. You did well." Ash said returning Blaze, who was heavily panting but gave Ash a raised thumb as he was returned.

"Titania, take the stage!" Delia called out as she released a powerful looking Gardevoir. The shocking feature of this Gardevoir was the blue coloration instead of green.

"Angel, I choose you!" Ash said as he released his Sylveon.

* * *

"Wow! What's that Pokémon?" Gary said as he took out his Pokédex. To his shock, his Pokédex was unable to tell what Ash's Pokémon was. He already knew of Gardevoir as he had read about them, but Angel was totally unknown.

"That is a Sylveon. The fairy type evolution of Eevee. I don't really know how an Eevee evolves into Sylveon but the common consensus is that they need to be raised with care and love but there must be another component as Eevee evolves into Umbreon and Espeon with similar care and love." Professor Kukui said getting a laugh from Lily.

"Ash said that if one teaches an Eevee a fairy type move before it evolves, then they will evolve into Sylveon. That is if they evolve naturally and not under the influence of an evolution tone or the Moss Rock or Ice Rock." The Professors nodded in understanding as they returned their attention to the battle that was about to commence.

* * *

"Gardevoir vs Sylveon! BEGIN!"

" **Sand Attack** Angel!" Ash called out causing the Intertwining Pokémon to throw up a cloud of sand at Titania's eyes before she could even react.

"Gar de devoir!" Titania called out to Delia concern.

"You alright Titania?" After rubbing the sand out of her eyes, Titania partially turned to Delia and nodded before she turned back to Angel and glared. "Then use **Destiny Bond**!"

Both Titania and Angel glowed with a dark violet aura before it faded causing both Angel and Ash to growl.

* * *

"That was smart of Delia. Now even if Ash wins, Angel will faint as well. the battle will end in a draw. The final battle will decide the Challenge!" Oak said with a smile. The other nodded in agreement.

" **Shadow Sneak**!" Delia called out as everyone watched Gardevoir merge with her shadow and then the shadow rush toward Sylveon. They waited with bated breath to Ash's counter.

"Dodge with **Detect** and then use **Hidden Power**!"

The spectators watched as Sylveon closed her eyes before jumping back just as Gardevoir reappeared with a fist covered in shadows. The group watched as Sylveon conjured up multiple orbs of violet energy before launching them at the surprised Gardevoir. Each of the orbs exploded in violet light with each contact, Gardevoir unable to dodge most of them.

"Tell me, does Sylveon have a poison type **Hidden Power**? That is the only explanation for why Gardevoir cried out with such pain." Kukui asked Ash's friends only to get a nod from Brock. "Just as I thought. Too bad that Delia was able to get in that **Destiny Bond** , else Ash would have finished the Challenge with this battle."

"I agree with you Professor Kukui. The battle is truly in the Grand Master's favor. He has trained that Sylveon well." Dr. Kenshin said with a grin.

"I sense a powerful aura on that Sylveon. An aura as trained and strong as all the other Pokémon's Ash used till now." Sir Kenway said with his Mienshao nodded in agreement.

" _That's right. I don't want to challenge her to an Aura Duel!"_ Mienshao said with a grin getting a chuckle from Lily.

"I know what you mean. I would sooner Duel Cherry than Angel. At least Cherry knows how to hold back. Angel will wither destroy you or drop unconscious from the attempt."

"She can't be that competitive, can she? I mean Sylveon are known for their kind and gentle nature." Professor Kukui asked getting a serious expression for Ash's friends.

"Just watch the battle and you will see what Lily meant." Brock said getting a surprised look from Kukui. Everyone turned back to the battle only to see Sylveon to crash an **Iron Tail** onto the icy ground causing small chunks of frozen rock to be thrown up into the air.

"Now Angel, use **Fairy Wind**!" Everyone watched as Sylveon conjured up a pink wind above her head and then launch a powerful gust at Gardevoir. The pink wind carried the chunks of frozen rock and started peppering Gardevoir with both the wind and the rocks.

"Ash and Angel isn't giving Delia and Titania any time to go on the offensive!" Professor Oak exclaimed in shock. The whole group along with the Pallet Town natives watching the battle excluding Brock, Misty and Lily were gob smacked. They couldn't believe how powerful and quick Sylveon was, or how ruthless she was in battle.

* * *

" **Synchronoise**!" Delia called out causing Titania to release a powerful blast of psychic energy that quickly struck Angel and threw her back.

"Syl!" Angel cried out as she got back up on her feet. She and Ash stared at Titania to see the Embrace Pokémon harshly panting. They realized that she was on her last legs.

"Quickly Angel, let's finish it with **Heaven's Judgement**!" Ash called out causing Angel to rush towards Titania with her body glowing with intense light.

Seeing Angel quickly closing in with what appeared to be a very powerful attack, Delia cried out, " **Teleport** out of the way!" Titania was about to teleport when suddenly Angel crashed into her using **Quick Attack**. Everyone watched as the coat of energy around Angel destabilized before exploding in a dome of intense white light.

"TITANIA!" Delia called out in concern

* * *

"That is one move I haven't heard about before. What is it?" Professor Kukui asked only to get a chuckle from Dr. Kenshin.

"That Kukui was a custom attack Angel developed by learning to channel fairy type aura. Ever since the Grand Master and three of his eldest Pokémon discovered elemental aura, new attacks like those have been popping up. When the Grand Master returns to HQ after the League, I will be analyzing the new attacks to see the viability of Pokémon that can't use aura learning the moves." Dr. Kenshin said getting nods from Professors Oak and Kukui.

"Hey everyone looks like the smoke is finally clearing." Misty said getting everyone's attention. They looked down to the battle field to see that indeed the smoke was clearing to reveal a crater in which Gardevoir was lying with her eyes closed. Beside her was Sylveon, also knocked out.

Daisy raised both flags and called out, "Both Pokémon are unable to battle. This round is a draw! Trainers reveal your final Pokémon!"

Ash and Delia returned their Pokémon with smiles before releasing their final Pokémon.

"Magik, take the stage!" Delia called our releasing her Alakazam. Everyone watched as Alakazam appeared in a flash of white light with a mega stone resting on a plate on his chest.

"Cherry, I choose you!" Ash called out with a smirk as his Red Gyarados appeared with a mega stone fixed on a metal band strapped to her crest.

"Alakazam vs Gyarados! BEGIN!"

* * *

"Key Stone! Synchronize with my heart and respond to my feelings. Magik! Mega Evolve!" Delia called out as she took hold of her mega pendant. At the same time Ash raised his hand to his hat and touched the Key Stone embedded on it.

"Let the aura shine through you and respond to my feelings! Cherry! Mega Evolve!" As both mother and son finished their chants, both their Key Stones glowed with an intense rainbow light. At the same time both Cherry and Magik were encased in an orb of rainbow energy and when they faded, the two Pokémon were revealed to be in their mega states.

Magik was now floating in a meditating position with multiple spoons floating around him. He had a large white beard and whiskers with a red jewel embedded on his head.

Cherry had grown in size and how had a pair of wing like fins on her back. Her torso was now larger and her scales and crest were now brighter with color and her yellow patches were now dark red.

" **Miracle Eye**!" Delia called out causing Cherry to glow with a purple psychic aura while Magik's eyes glowed with similar light. When the light faded, Ash cursed.

" _Calm down Ash! We defeated Steven and his Metagross after they used the same tactic. We can defeat Magik as well!"_ Cherry called out causing everyone to widen their eyes in surprise. Other than Delia, Oak, Lily and Ash, no one had ever heard her directly speak yet. Ash just nodded before he called out his first order.

"Start it off with **Surf**!" Cherry growled as she conjured up a massive wall of water and sent it crashing towards Magik only for Delia to call out, "Stop it back with **Psychic**! Then use **Charge Beam** on it and finally send it back!"

The wall of blue water stopped cold before a ball of yellow electricity charged in between Magik's hands. When the ball started crackling, Magik threw his hands forwards launching a beam of concentrated electricity at the wall of floating water. As the water absorbed the electricity, it glowed with a pale blue light with yellow sparks floating on the surfaces. With a mighty yell, Magik then compacted the wall into a ball and then chucked it at Cherry.

"Use **Iron Tail** on the ground and the use **Hurricane Counter Shield**!" Cherry nodded as her tail glowed with a silvery sheen. Making a front flip, she rammed her tail onto the ground below her causing a gravel and crushed ice to rise up into the air. Then before the debris fell back to the ground, Cherry glowed blue as a massive hurricane with her at the center of the storm. The hurricane started absorbing the crushed ice, gravel and sand into itself causing the white winds to become brownish blue. The ball of electrified water collided with the wall of swirling wind, gravel and ice only for it to be absorbed into the hurricane as well, making the swirling winds glow with a brown, blue and white sheen.

* * *

"I didn't know that offensive attack could be used for defense!" Gary called out in surprise.

"That is the mark of a great trainer. There are infinite applications of moves. One just need to find them. Alternate use of moves are more common in Pokémon Coordinators and Pokémon Performers. They use such combinations to make their Pokémon look better or counter opponents moves. There is more to training than just battling Gary."

"I think I will become a Coordinator! Coordinating seems fun! Are contests so intense?" Lily asked with a grin.

"Not usually, but the present Hoenn Champion, Wallace is both a Trainer and a Top Coordinator. He defeated Steven because of his Coordinating skills. As a pure trainer, Steven is better but he was unable to adapt to Wallace's Coordinating strategies." Brock said getting surprised looks from everyone except Misty. Seeing the looks, Brock chuckled. "What? Steven is a distant cousin. Misty, Ash and I met him on the SS Anne. He told us how he was defeated. I the checked some of the battle videos on the net."

"Cherry use **Bounce** to get out and send the **Hurricane** at Magik. Then launch a **Dark Pulse** into the **Hurricane**." Ash called out causing everyone to refocus on the battle.

They saw Cherry jump out of the eye of the storm and then suddenly the storm raged towards Magik who was glowing with a blue psychic aura. The storm also glowed with the same aura and was about to be dissipated when the beam of swirling dark energies struck the storm causing it to glow a sinister violet. With the storm infused with dark type energies Magik panicked.

"Magik use **Protect**!" Magik calmed down and conjured up a green spherical barrier around himself just as the hybrid storm of winds, rocks, ice, water, electricity and dark energies reached him and exploded in a massive column of the wind, water, electricity and dark energies. When the column faded, only devastation was seen. A massive crater was on the ground filled with sparking muddy water with chunk of sparkling ice floating about giving off dark energy. Above the crater, Magik was seen floating and panting hard as the green barrier shattered into green particles of energy.

"Let's finish it off with a Dark Type **Sync Strike** , Cherry!" Ash called out as Ash and Cherry glowed with their aura pulsing in synchronization. The pulsing increased in tempo as the nimbus of power around Cherry grew larger. After a few more moments, but which time Magik had just finished regaining his breath, Ash and Cherry's auras flashed before the nimbus of power around Cherry doubled. A black ball formed in front of Cherry's mouth. With a roar, Cherry launched the ball at Magik.

"That's one powerful looking **Black Hole Eclipse**!" Professor Kukui said with awe.

"Magik use **Dazzling Gleam**!" Delia called out as Magik created a ball of intense white light and instead of detonating it then and there, threw it at the approaching black ball. At first, the super effective Fairy Type move seemed to be able to hold the black ball back but suddenly, the black ball pulsed before absorbing the white ball into itself and struck the ground in front of Magik and exploded. Magik was thrown back from the massive explosion before the whole field was covered in smoke, obscuring the results. It took nearly a minute for the smoke to clear and when it did, everyone was shocked to see Magik still up, but just barely. Instead of floating, he was on his knees. Even Cherry didn't escape unscathed after using such a powerful attack. She was harshly panting and looked like she was about to faint.

* * *

" _You have grown stronger Cherry. You are the strongest opponent I have faced since Agatha's Gengar. Be proud young one. You are now definitely a Champion Class Pokémon!"_ Magik called out before he fell on his face and fainted, reverting back to his normal form.

" _Thank you Magik. With your acknowledgement, I will strive to become greater!"_ Cherry said before she reverted back to her normal form but still awake.

"Winner, Ash and Gyarados! With four wins, one loss and a tie, Ash qualifies for a Diamond Badge!" Daisy declared as Delia and Ash returned their Pokémon. The crowd cheered in response of the awesome challenge.

Approaching Ash, Delia present him with the Diamond Badge. "You have made me proud honey! My Pokémon and me weren't even able to react to some of your strategies. I know that you will definitely win the League!"

"Thanks mom!" Ash said as he placed the Diamond Badge in his Badge Case. He was about to head to his friends when Delia brought him into a hug.

"I love you so much Ash. you are just like your father. Keep up the good work Ash. Now are you staying or heading out to train for the league?" Delia asked letting Ash out of her hug.

"I plan to stay for the week. Lily will take the Trials soon. Sir Kenway decided to be the Trial Master. After she is done, she will start studying for the Pokémon Trainer Licensing Exam. Can she stay here while I go out training? Misty and Brock will be coming with me to Pallet Cape to help me a bit. We shouldn't be gone for more than a week."

"Sure thing Ash. I have been wanting to get to know one of my future daughter-in-laws!" Delia said with a giggle. Ash stared in shock.

"How?"

"Master Kenway said he sensed a bonding between you two. I know that you aren't irresponsible, so the bonding must have been necessary. I want to get to know her away from your presence. So she can stay while you and your friends train. Now let's head to the Pokémon Centre. All the Pokémon need to be checked over."

"Yeah! Thank for reminding me mom and thank for understanding mine and Lily's situation. We will explain it to you and Sir Kenway tomorrow. Alright?" Delia just nodded as she wrapped an arm around her son's shoulder and guided him back to his friends. The spectators having already left.


End file.
